News for Pha Khao Lao: First mushroom book for Laos

Last updated on December 28, 2024
(first published: December 28, 2024)
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With the upcoming rainy season many mushroom species will appear from the ground or from living or dead trees, especially in the older forests containing dipterocarp, oak, chestnut, and pine trees. Until the end of the rainy season, the rich forest diversity also provides a huge diversity of macro-mushrooms and you will see many of these for sale at road sides and at local markets, harvested by locals and giving an important income for their families.

The new book, Edible, Poisonous and Medicinal Fungi of Northern Laos, is the first of its kind for Lao PDR and presents a general information on the biology and grouping of fungi, followed by a detailed description of edible, poisonous and medicinal species you are likely to encounter in your village or in the forest.

The book is written by Thomas Laessoe, Ole Sparre Pedersen and Phongeun Sysouphanthong and presents more than 160 species supported by some 330 photos. The text is both in Lao and in English and will be very useful for students as well as locals who want to know more about edible, poisonous and medicinal mushroom species in Lao PDR.

If you are interested in this book (or a soft copy), please contract Ole Sparre Pedersen, E-mail: or purchase a hard copy from Pha Tad Ke Botanical Garden, Luang Prabang, E-mail: