Can you pick lion's mane in the UK? What the law says

Is lion’s mane protected in the UK?

Yes. Lion’s mane is one of only a handful of fungi listed in Schedule 8 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, which names the plants and fungi given the strongest protection in Great Britain. It was added to the schedule in April 1998, under its older name Hericium erinaceum and the English name “hedgehog fungus”.

What exactly is against the law?

Section 13 of the Act makes it an offence to:

• intentionally pick, uproot or destroy a wild Schedule 8 species (in Scotland, recklessly doing so is an offence too);
• sell, offer for sale or transport for sale any live or dead wild specimen, or anything made from one;
• advertise that you buy or sell them.

There is a narrow defence if the damage was an unavoidable side effect of some other lawful activity, such as felling a dangerous tree. Northern Ireland has its own wildlife law.

Why is it protected?

Lion’s mane needs old, large broadleaf trees, usually beech or oak, that are dying or have deep wounds. That kind of deadwood has become scarce, so the fungus is rare and its sites are vulnerable. Picking the fruiting body does not kill the mycelium inside the tree, but repeated picking stops it releasing spores, and the trees it grows on are often valuable for many other species.

Where does the lion’s mane in shops come from?

It is cultivated, usually on bags of hardwood sawdust (for fresh mushrooms) or on grain or in liquid tanks (for many supplements). That is perfectly legal, because the Act protects wild specimens only. If you want to try it, buy it fresh from a grower or grow it from a kit, and leave wild ones in the wood. For supplements, see fruiting body or mycelium to understand what you are buying.