“See-Hand” and beyond: an ethnomycological investigation of bai fungal knowledge in Jianchuan, Northwest Yunnan, China

The Bai people in Jianchuan County, Northwest Yunnan, have a long history of utilizing wild macrofungi. This region is recognized as a global biodiversity hotspot; however, traditional knowledge associated with fungi remains underexplored. This study documents the ethnomycological knowledge of the Bai people, examining how vernacular names encode ecological and utilitarian information. A mixed methods approach was employed, combining semi-structured interviews with 167 knowledge holders (aged 18–83 years), participatory observation during foraging activities, and voucher specimen collection for taxonomic identification. Fieldwork was conducted from April 2022 to March 2026 across five towns and three townships of Jianchuan County. Data were analyzed using ethnographic semantic analysis, chi-square tests, and binary logistic regression. A total of 112 macrofungal taxa belonging to 47 families and 58 genera were documented. Among these, 90 species (80.4%) were classified as Safe, 18 (16.1%) as Caution, and 4 (3.6%) as High Caution. The Bai naming system exhibits a hierarchical structure with the root word sainx (mushroom) modified by descriptors indicating morphology, ecology, or sensory properties. A notable example is the distinctive nget go dei (“see-hand”) category for bruising-sensitive boletes, a term that literally means “upon touching the hand” and encodes a clear toxicity warning. EcM fungi dominated the recorded taxa (75 species, 67.0%), followed by saprotrophs (35 species, 31.3%). A significant association was found between trophic mode and use category (χ² = 8.42, df = 2, p = 0.015), with EcM species predominantly used as food (70 of 103 edible species, 68.0%) and saprotrophic species over-represented in medicinal applications (14 of 26 medicinal species, 53.8%). Binary logistic regression confirmed that EcM fungi were approximately three times more likely to be used as food than saprotrophs (OR = 3.24, 95% CI: 1.28–8.19). Bai ethnomycological knowledge represents a sophisticated system integrating linguistic classification, ecological understanding, and practical utilization. Vernacular names serve as mnemonic devices encoding critical information on edibility, toxicity, and habitat. The disproportionate use of EcM fungi as food highlights the cultural significance of forest symbioses, while saprotrophs’ medicinal use reflects a distinct conceptualization of decomposition. This study underscores the importance of documenting traditional knowledge as an integrated system with implications for biocultural conservation.