Pleurotus

Pleurotus
Pleurotus ostreatus
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Fungi
Division:	Basidiomycota
Class:	Agaricomycetes
Order:	Agaricales
Family:	Pleurotaceae
Genus:	Pleurotus (Fr.) P. Kumm. 1871
Type species
Pleurotus ostreatus (Jacq.) P. Kumm. 1871

Pleurotus saprotrophic
	Edibility is choice

Pleurotus is a

In the American Pacific Northwest, oysters can be found from March to May.^[6]

Taxonomy

The classification of species within the genus Pleurotus is difficult due to high

The following species list is organized according to 1. phylogenetic clade,[8]^[10] 2. intersterility group (group number in Roman numerals) or sub-clade,^[9][12] and then 3. any older binomial names that have been found to be closely related, reproductively compatible, or synonymous, although they may no longer be taxonomically valid. This list is likely to be incomplete.

• P. ostreatus clade[10]
  • I. P. ostreatus (oyster or pearl oyster mushroom) – North America and northern Eurasia^[9]
    • P. florida^[8]
  • II. P. pulmonarius (phoenix or Indian oyster mushroom) – North America, Eurasia, and Australasia^[10][13]
    • P. columbinus^[8]
    • P. sapidus
  • III. P. populinus – North America^[9]
  • VI. P. eryngii (king oyster mushroom) – Europe and the Middle East^[9]
    • P. ferulae
    • P. fossulatus – Afghanistan^[9]
    • P. nebrodensis^[14]
  • XII. P. abieticola – Asia^[10]
  • XIII. P. albidus – Caribbean, Central America, South America^[12]
• P. djamor-cornucopiae clade^[10]

  

  • IV. P. cornucopiae (branched oyster mushroom) – Europe
    • P. citrinopileatus (golden oyster mushroom) – eastern Asia
    • P. euosmus (tarragon oyster mushroom)
  • V. P. djamor (pink oyster mushroom) – pantropical
    • P. flabellatus
    • P. salmoneo-stramineus
    • P. salmonicolor
  • XI. P. opuntiae – North America,^[10] New Zealand^[13]
  • XVI. P. calyptratus
• P. cystidiosus clade^[8][15]

  

  

  • VII. P. cystidiosus (abalone mushroom) – global
    • P. abalonus
      – Taiwan
    • P. fuscosquamulosus – Africa, Europe
    • P. smithii – Mexico
  • IX. P. dryinus – North America, Europe, and New Zealand
• VIII. Lentinus levis – subtropical to tropical,^[12] moved to genus Lentinus.^[16]
• X. P. tuber-regium (king tuber mushroom) – Africa, Asia, Australasia^[17][10]
• XIV. P. australis (brown oyster mushroom) – Australia and New Zealand^[12][13]
• XV. P. purpureo-olivaceus – Australia and New Zealand^[12][13]
  • P. rattenburyi

Incertae sedis species

• P. parsonsii^[13]
• P. velatus^[13]

Former species

• P. gardneri was reclassified to the genus Neonothopanus in 2011.^[18]
• P. levis was reclassified to the genus Lentinus.
• P. sajor-caju was reclassified to the genus Lentinus.
• P. nidiformis was reclassified to the genus Omphalotus in 1994.^[19]

Etymology

The genus name Pleurotus literally means side ear in reference to the mushroom caps being laterally attached to the substrate. It is a composite of the Ancient Greek words πλευρά : pleurá - side, and the stem -oto referring to ears (from οὖς, ὠτός : ear).

Ecology

Pleurotus fungi are found in both tropical and temperate climates throughout the world.^[1] Most species of Pleurotus are white-rot fungi on hardwood trees, although some also decay conifer wood.^[3] Pleurotus eryngii is unusual in being a weak parasite of herbaceous plants, and P. tuber-regium produces underground sclerotia.^[17]

In addition to being

The 2007 Cosco Busan oil spill was remediated partly by using 1000 mats of human hair collected from Bay Area salons woven into mats, then used to grow oyster mushrooms, helping to absorb the oil.^[24]

After the 2017 Tubbs Fire in California, oyster mushrooms were grown to help remediate toxic ash run-off.^[25]

See also

• Antromycopsis – an anamorphic form of Pleurotus
• List of Pleurotus species

References