A common edible white-to-tan fungus with overlapping shelf-like clusters on dead wood. One of the few wild mushrooms that's easy to identify confidently — and one of the few that can be cultivated at home on coffee grounds.
§ Quick facts
§ Encyclopedia
Pleurotus is a genus of gilled mushrooms with species known as oyster, abalone, or tree mushrooms. It includes some of the most commonly cultivated edible mushrooms in the world, such as P. ostreatus. Additionally, some species have been used in the mycoremediation of pollutants.
Source: Wikipedia — Pleurotus Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
§ Identification
Field marks. White-to-tan shelf clusters on dead wood. Gilled.
Similar species. Other Pleurotus species. Some look-alikes have different gills.
Voice. N/A
§ Diet & behavior
Diet. Saprotrophic — decomposes hardwood.
Behavior. Edible. Among the easiest mushrooms to identify and cultivate.
§ Range
Across temperate North America
§ Habitat
Decaying hardwood logs, dying trees
§ Threats
Forest loss, removal of fallen logs from forests.
§ Conservation status
According to the IUCN Red List, the oyster mushroom is currently classified as Least Concern.
§ What helps
Leave fallen logs in place. Grow at home (kits widely available).
§ Further reading
- Wikipedia — Pleurotus
- www.nwf.org — authoritative profile of Pleurotus ostreatus
- iNaturalist · taxon 117993
- IUCN Red List — search for Pleurotus ostreatus
- GBIF occurrence records
- Encyclopedia of Life — Pleurotus ostreatus
§ Sources cited
- North American Mycological Association
- iNaturalist
