King oyster mushroom: where it grows now and when

The mushroom of the central plateau: fields, wasteland and thistles. Humble in name and noble on the table.

King oyster mushrooms at the foot of a field eryngo in dry grassland, with holm oaks in the background
King oyster mushrooms growing by the roots of field eryngo in dry grassland: greyish-brown cap and white gills running down the stem.

The king oyster mushroom (Pleurotus eryngii) comes out from September to December, at its best in October, and also in spring, in pastures, meadows and wasteland, mostly in the middle mountains. It is also known as king trumpet.

See where it is ready this week

Right now, the best day forecast for king oyster mushrooms is 20 September.

The king oyster mushroom does not live in the forest but in open country: wasteland, fallow fields and pastures where the field eryngo grows, whose dead roots it lives on. It is the mushroom of Castile, Aragon and La Mancha, the one people look for with the first autumn fog.

It comes up with the October rains on soils that have already lost the summer heat, and shows again in spring if the year is wet. The map mainly follows the autumn flush.

What it needs to come out

First, a good rain, the kind that soaks the ground. Then patience: it usually appears after three or four weeks, as long as the soil holds on to that moisture and stays cool. If a frost, too much water or a drying wind comes in between, the flush is aborted and never shows.

Where to look

It comes out in pastures, meadows and wasteland, mostly in the middle mountains, without being fussy about the soil.

King oyster mushrooms by province (in Spanish)

How the forest is doing this week

Forecast of 11 September, updated every day.

Mushrooms that share its woods

How we know when the forest wakes up (in Spanish).