Chuxiong produces 49,700 tons of wild mushrooms in 2022

Chuxiong Yi autonomous prefecture in central Yunnan is famous for mastsutake mushrooms. Chuxiong boasts the highest wild mushroom production in Yunnan province.

In 2022, the prefecture's wild mushroom production reached 49,700 tons with a comprehensive output value of 6.513 billion yuan, including 1,123 tons of matsutake mushrooms.

Among the 20 matsutake mushroom base counties selected by Yunnan province, four counties in Chuxiong are included, with Nanhua county its most famous county.

In Yunnan, the rainy season fell from May to September and it is also known as the mushroom season for people. As the rain soaks forests and the earth, various mushrooms spring up from the moist soil.

There are Huzhang mushroom looking like tiger's paw, and others with brown caps resembling ox livers are porcini mushrooms. Some with green caps known as greenhead or Qingtou mushrooms. Among these, the most renowned is the matsutake mushroom, often referred to as the king of mushrooms.

Chuxiong’s Nanhua county is home to over 290 known edible wild mushroom species, accounting for 31.2% of the total number in China. It is renowned as the hometown of Chinese wild mushrooms, and Nanhua matsutake has been recognized as a Chinese Geographical Indication.

Matsutake mushrooms only thrive in pristine forests at elevations between 2,000 and 4,000 meters. They often establish a symbiotic relationship with pine tree roots aged over 50 years, and it takes at least 5 to 6 years from a single spore to grow into a mature matsutake mushroom.

In recent years, Nanhua county has taken the lead in implementing forest closure, afforestation, and mushroom cultivation while adhering to strict picking standards. They prohibit the picking of matsutake mushrooms under 7 centimeters in size.
Source: Yunnan Net; trans-editing by Wang Yunya