(Original Source : Wikipedia Encyclopedia, Photo Source : Private Photo & carasendiri.blogspot.com)
The oyster mushroom (
Pleurotus Ostreatus) is one of the more commonly sought wild mushrooms,
though it can also be cultivated on straw and other media. It often has the
scent of anise due to the presence of benzaldehyde (which, however, smells more like almonds). The standard oyster mushroom can
grow in many places, but some other related species, such as the branched
oyster mushroom, grow only on trees.
The mushroom has a broad, fan or oyster-shaped
cap spanning
5–25 cm; natural specimens range from white to gray or tan to dark-brown;
the margin is inrolled when young, and is smooth and often somewhat lobed or
wavy. The flesh is white, firm, and varies in thickness due to stipe
arrangement. The gills
of the mushroom are white to cream, and
descend on the stalk if present. If so, the stipe is off-center with a lateral
attachment to wood. The spore print of the mushroom is white to
lilac-gray, and best viewed on dark background. The mushroom's stipe is often
absent. When present, it is short and thick.
The oyster mushroom is widespread in many temperate and subtropical forests
throughout the world. The oyster mushroom is one of the few known carnivorous
mushrooms. Its mycelia can kill and digest nematodes
, which is believed to be a way in which the mushroom
obtains nitrogen. While
this mushroom is often seen growing on dying hardwood trees, it only appears to
be acting parasitically. As the tree dies of other causes,
P. ostreatus
grows on the rapidly increasing mass of dead and dying wood. They actually
benefit the forest by decomposing the dead wood, returning vital elements and
minerals to the ecosystem in a form usable to other plants and organisms.
