Pleurotus ostreatus

Edible and Delicious

Pleurotus ostreatus

(Oyster Mushroom)

Synonyms:

Pleurotus ostreatus (Jacq. : Fr.) Quél. var. sativus (Cultivated Oyster Mushroom)

Pleurotus ostreatus (Jacq. ex Fr.) Kummer var. sativus

Pleurotus ostreatus (Jacq. : Fr.) Quél. var. vulgaris (Wild Oyster Mushroom)

Photograph by Brother Alfred Brousseau, St. Mary's College

Jack S. States indicates in Mushrooms and Truffles of the Southwest that oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus ostreatus) are commonly found in the southwest growing on deciduous trees in the Riparian zone as well as sometimes growing on pine in the Canadian and Hudsonian zones. I have not noticed any growing wild in the southwest but will keep on the lookout for them. Oyster mushrooms are delicious and are often commercially cultivated and can be found in produce sections of some grocery stores.

Photograph by John C. Tacoma, copyright held by Indiana University

(see http://www.ulib.iupui.edu/special/mss019.html).

Recipes on the Web - Links to recipes for this species on the web (in many languages)

The following information and links are compiled by B.W. Freyburger of Gallup, New Mexico, who often collects fungi when he can find some during the late summer and fall in the mountains near there. Please notify him of persistently dead links, additional links regarding this species, or errors in information or links herein through email by clicking on his name above. This site contains links to other sites which are not authored by or controlled by the webmaster of this site. Unfortunately these sites sometimes diasppear or or are reorganized or moved leaving the link nonfunctional. I try to check for dead links and update or remove them as often as possible. Information, recipes, photographs, illustrations, and other material on these sites is likely subject to copyright protection. Please respect the legal rights of persons creating this material. This site also utilizes some clip art obtained from sources which identified it as public domain or authorized for use on non-commercial sites. If you notice any material on this site which you believe to be used in violation of copyright laws please notify the webmaster immediately. Some clip art appearing here is original. All original material contained on this page not otherwise copyrighted is ©2001 by B.W. Freyburger. All rights reserved.

There is a saying in German that translates roughly as "All mushrooms are edible, but some kinds only once." Put another way, there are old mushroom hunters and there are bold mushroom hunters, but there are no old bold mushroom hunters.

Don't overdo it. Most adverse reactions I have had to wild mushrooms have usually been tied to over-consumption. Most of all, if you aren't absolutely sure what it is, it is generally wiser not to eat it. When in doubt throw it out.