Mushrooms

Lesvos is characterized by a variety of ecosystems and vegetation. This variety combined with its mild climate seems to favor the development of many forms of fungal flora. On Lesvos the famous Lactarius genus mushrooms as well as the typical white mushrooms flourish along with “sphoungarites” (sponge-like) mushrooms as they grow beneath pines trees and are savored by many consumers. After the first autumn rains, one can see Laetiporus sulfureus and Fistulina hepatica mushrooms grow on chestnut or oak tree trunks. A little later in the year the annual tree forest floor is full of small and big mushrooms of the Amanita and the Boletus genus. Many uniquely Lesvian mushroom species grow in the island’s olive tree orchards which cover a great expanse on all plains, slopes and ravines. Thus, mushrooms are an inseparable element in the Lesvian ecosystem. More than 150 mushroom species have been identified so far.