A large family of oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus) belongs to agaric mushrooms, that is, they have a leg (or stump) and a hat, and they prefer to settle on the ground at the roots of trees. Read more about the mushroom, its features and growing at home - further.

Appearance

Caps of oyster mushrooms are smooth and have a variety of colors. In diameter, they often reach 5-8 cm, but there are specimens with a 15-centimeter hat. From below, it is covered with rare and thick plates, in which a pinkish spore powder ripens.

The legs of the mushrooms are short, narrowing towards the base, asymmetrical. Some varieties may not have it. Near the base, the leg is covered with fluff. The flesh of the mushroom is white, it does not darken on the cut and has no smell.

nutritional value

According to nutritional value, they belong to category 4. All representatives of this family are edible, but only 5 species are used for food, the rest have hard and fibrous flesh.

100 g of raw mushrooms contains:

  • protein - 3.31 g;
  • fats - 0.41 g;
  • carbohydrates - 4.17 g;
  • dietary fiber - 2.3 g;
  • ash - 1.01 g;
  • water - 88.8 g.

The energy value of 100 g of the product is 34 kcal.

Oyster mushrooms are rich in vitamins of groups B, PP, C and D and macro-, microelements: potassium, phosphorus, iron, copper, zinc and selenium. Due to this rich composition, it is often used for medicinal purposes.

In addition, oyster mushrooms, unlike other representatives of the mushroom kingdom, do not accumulate toxins in themselves, therefore they are safe for humans. It is contraindicated for people with an allergic reaction to them, with diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, liver and gallbladder, since mushrooms are a heavy food.

Where to find oyster mushrooms?

Oyster mushrooms are undemanding to climatic conditions, the main thing for them is warmth and high humidity. Usually they grow in deciduous forests of the European part of Russia, in the Caucasus and Central Asia. Mushrooms settle on stumps, dead wood and trunks of weakened trees - birches, aspens, lindens and poplars. In the southern regions, they can be found on maples, elm or hornbeam. They usually do not grow on healthy trees. Collecting oyster mushrooms is a pleasure, as they grow in large groups, and the basket fills up quickly.

Varieties of oyster mushroom

There are 9 main varieties of the fungus:

  • - oyster mushroom, popularly known as suspension, chinarik or bun, of all members of the family - this is the most valuable and useful species. The cap of the oyster mushroom is colored grayish-yellow or brown, and looks like ears.
    In young oyster mushrooms, the edge is bent down. The size of the cap can vary from 5 to 25 cm, the presence of mycelial plaque on a smooth surface is allowed. The leg is whitish, shaped like a cylinder, the length can reach 5 cm, and the diameter is 0.8-3 cm. The pulp is quite dense and elastic, but in overripe specimens it can be hard, with fibers.
    They are sent to "hunt" for them in June and harvested until frost. It is easy to find them on the stumps and trunks of deciduous trees. You can also find oyster mushroom on diseased trunks of birch, oak, aspen and even mountain ash.
  • (willow pig) replaces the oyster mushroom. Mushroom pickers go for it in September - October. They look for colonies on the stumps of maples, elms, poplars, lindens, less often aspens. The pig has a one-sided, elongated hat that changes color depending on the age of the fungus. At first it is gray-white, later dirty yellow. The leg, if any, is very short and does not exceed 2.5 cm in length.
  • - a less common, but edible species that settles only on the trunks and stumps of oaks. They appear in July - August. The round hat does not exceed 10 cm in diameter.
    This species is easily recognizable by the wrapped edge of the cap, on which the remains of a white veil hang down. The surfaces of the stem and cap are covered with scales. The hat has a yellowish or cream tint. The leg is velvety, grows up to 10 cm in size, has the shape of a cylinder. The leg can be attached to the hat both in the center and on the side. The pulp of the mushroom is slightly harsh, but has a pleasant aroma.
  • Oyster mushroom horn-shaped or plentiful- record holder in yield. This species has the largest colonies, which is why it is called "abundant", and acquired the name "carob" because of its similarity to the shepherd's horn. The cap has a funnel-shaped shape and is painted white, which darkens over time to a light brown tone, its diameter is from 3 to 12 cm.
    It is noteworthy that in young mushrooms, the cap is bent down along the edges, but over time it straightens and even turns up. The hat is attached to the side of the leg.
    They go for them at the end of May and collect them until mid-August. But they will have to be looked for, because they like to settle in hard-to-reach places, windbreaks and fallen trees. They grow more often on the stumps of maples and elms.
  • Pulmonary (spring, beech or whitish oyster mushroom) - refers to the most common edible representatives of the genus, growing in natural conditions.
    The cap is round in shape, can be tongue-shaped or fan-shaped, the size is on average about 6 cm, but there are also individual mushrooms with a cap size of 15 cm, the color is white or cream, but mature mushrooms may have a yellow tint. The edges are slightly cracked and turned inside out, and the edges are much thinner than the central part. The leg is white or with a grayish tinge, reaches a length of barely 2 cm. At the base it is covered with small villi.
    Grows on rotting trunks of fallen hardwood trees. Seasonality - from the beginning of May to the end of September. They mostly bear fruit in groups that have grown together at the base of the stem; single representatives are less common.
  • Steppe (eringi, royal oyster mushroom). Valuable edible mushroom. The mushroom cap has an oval or round shape in young representatives of the species, but becomes flat and even funnel-shaped with age. The surface is red-brown in color, covered with small scales. The size of the cap can reach 13 cm. The leg is cylindrical, white, from 2 to 5 cm. The flesh is white, a brownish or pinkish tint is allowed.
    Distributed in Central Europe and Western Asia. It bears fruit only in the spring months.
  • Pink (flamingo). Edible mushroom. Hats of young representatives of this species are painted in a beautiful pink, powdery or grayish-pink color. The cap fades with age. Its dimensions can reach 5 cm. The leg has a whitish-pink hue, short, slightly curved, small, no more than 2 cm. The pulp has a pleasant aroma, oily taste, has a whitish-pink hue. Distributed in the territories of countries with a subtropical and tropical climate.
  • Sheathed or covered. Due to its hard pulp, it belongs to inedible mushrooms. It received this name because of the peculiar film that covers the plates of the hymenophore.
    In young representatives of the species, the hat looks like a kidney, but as it grows, it begins to encircle the tree trunk and takes the form of an open fan. The surface of the cap is smooth and slightly sticky with moist radial streaks. The fruit body has a gray-brown hue. The foot is almost invisible. The pulp has a whitish tint, smells similar to the aroma of raw potatoes in the cut, has a rubbery texture.
    Mushrooms grow singly, begin to bear fruit from late April to late June. You can meet them on dried fallen aspens in mixed and deciduous forests. Distribution area - Denmark, Sweden, Latvia, Ireland and other countries of Central and Northern Europe.
  • Hat (ilmak, golden). A rare edible mushroom with an original aroma and pleasant taste. The cap is corymbose, the size can reach up to 10 cm, the yellow-lemon color is typical for young representatives, it fades in mature mushrooms and can even become completely white. The leg has a cream shade, height - up to 9 cm. It grows in groups, and some groups can reach 80 pieces, settles on dry branches of elms.
    Fruiting occurs from May to October. Distributed in Asia and the North American continent, in Russia it can be found in the forests of Eastern Siberia, the Far East and Primorsky Krai.

Similarity of oyster mushrooms with other mushrooms

There are no poisonous mushrooms that look like oyster mushrooms in our country. However, there are mushrooms that are inedible, and it is very easy to confuse them with oyster mushrooms.

So, for example, inexperienced mushroom pickers can confuse oyster mushroom with wolf sawfly. This is a bitter mushroom that is absolutely inedible due to its taste. His hat is small with a pronounced yellow-red tint. The legs grow together at the base and resemble roof tiles in appearance. Characteristic smell of rotten cabbage.

The benefits of the mushroom

Oyster mushrooms are a useful mushroom. No wonder in folk medicine you can find recipes for drugs based on them. The mushroom helps with iron deficiency anemia, cardiovascular diseases. It increases the immune forces of the body, and the optimal content of vitamins D and E in it has a good effect on the development of bone tissue.

Mushrooms remove radioactive elements and some antibiotics from the body, they are recommended for people with benign and malignant neoplasms. Those who want to lose weight should also pay attention to this product. It is rich in protein, and its fats and carbohydrates do not harm the figure.

Harm of mushrooms

Despite the numerous advantages, mushrooms should not be consumed by children under 5 years of age and the elderly. In pickled and salted form, they are contraindicated in people with a history of kidney disease.

Fried oyster mushrooms should be discarded by patients with diseases of the liver and gallbladder. The rest of the mushroom lovers should remember that the benefits of the product are in the moderation of its consumption.

How to collect oyster mushrooms?

Going on a "hunt" for oyster mushrooms, be sure to take a knife with you. They are cut off at once by a whole group. No need to regret and leave young mushrooms in place, without older comrades they will die anyway.

For food, it is better to use mushrooms, whose caps do not exceed 10 cm in diameter; old legs are unsuitable for cooking. They are tasteless and tough.

Is it possible to grow this type of mushroom yourself?

Oyster mushrooms are non-capricious mushrooms, so they are cultivated all over the world. They do not require exorbitant costs to create optimal conditions for growth and generously endow the harvest. From 1 kg of mycelium, up to 4 kg of mushrooms are obtained. Grow them indoors or outdoors.

Mycelium is bought in a specialized store. High-quality seed material has a white color and orange, red blotches. The temperature of the packaging with mycelium should not exceed +20 °C. After purchase, it is placed in a cold place (+3 ... + 4 ° C).


As a rule, adhere to the following rules for storing mycelium:

  • no more than a month is stored at an average temperature of 0°C to -2°C;
  • no more than 2 weeks at an average temperature of 0°С to +2°С;
  • no more than 3 days at an average temperature of +15°С to +18°С;
  • no more than one day at an average temperature of +20°С to +24°С.

Methods for growing mushrooms

Oyster mushrooms can be grown in 2 main farming methods: intensive and extensive.

Intensive growing method on bags

This is a method of cultivation in artificial conditions.

Preparing for landing

The main rule when working with mushrooms is sterility. The room is disinfected in advance with chlorine-containing substances, the tools are treated with alcohol. All work is carried out by the mushroom grower with gloves.

The mycelium is taken out of the refrigerator and allowed to warm to room temperature, and then crushed.

For 1 kg of mycelium, you need to take 10 kg of soil. Barley or wheat straw, sawdust of deciduous trees or parts of corn are harvested for it (chopped stems, leaves and cobs are used). The material must be of high quality without signs of decay and mold.

Having decided on the basis of the substrate, proceed to its disinfection. Wet or dry substrate is treated with steam, but the most popular heat treatment method is boiling it in water for 2 hours. Over time, the substrate is placed under oppression and cooled to +25 C °. The pressed mass is cut into pieces of 4-5 cm.

Mycelium is planted only in moist soil. You can determine whether the substrate is suitable or not by humidity as follows: squeeze it into a lump, if it is springy and water does not flow out of it, then it has the right amount of moisture.

planting mushrooms

For planting mycelium, bags will be required. You can buy bags that fit 10 liters or 5 liters of soil. Fill them in two ways:

  1. Spread the substrate and mycelium on a sterile surface and mix them thoroughly. They fill the bags right away.
  2. Or lay the components in layers. First, 6 cm of soil are poured, then 0.5 cm of mycelium and continue to alternate in the same sequence until the bag is full.

The bags are tied and cuts (1-2 cm) are made on them over the entire surface of the bag in a checkerboard pattern at a distance of 15 cm from each other.

The bags are hung or arranged in such a way that air can freely penetrate them from all sides.


Now the main task of the mushroom grower is to create optimal conditions for the development of mycelium indoors. Humidity is maintained within the range of 70-80%, the air temperature should not exceed +25 C, and inside the bag +30 C, otherwise the mycelium will die. Lower the temperature with fans, ventilation at this stage is prohibited. Daily wet cleaning.

After 3-4 days, white, thin threads of mycelium can be seen in the incisions, which after 20 days will grow inside the entire bag, a mushroom aroma will appear in the room.

Next comes the fruiting phase. The bags are moved to another room, away from the living rooms, as the spores of the fungus are the strongest allergen, and create new conditions for the growth of oyster mushrooms. The air humidity is increased to 90-95%, and the temperature is lowered to 10-15 C. The mushrooms are provided with a daylight period of 10-12 hours. Humidifiers and wall and floor spraying are used to maintain high humidity, but in such a way that water does not get on the bags.

When hats appear, they are sprayed daily from above. At this stage, much attention is paid to the ventilation of the room, it must be provided every 6-8 hours. Otherwise, the mushrooms will start to rot.

The first harvest of oyster mushrooms is taken after 1.5 months. Mushrooms are completely turned out of the ground, making sure that no part of the leg remains in it. It can become a breeding ground for pathogenic microorganisms, which cannot be allowed. The mushroom picker yields up to 4 crops in a row. The second wave of mushroom growth begins 2-3 weeks after the first harvest.

After the mycelium fructifies, it is disposed of or used as fertilizer.

The yield of oyster mushrooms in the open field depends on weather conditions and is significantly inferior to the yield of mushrooms grown indoors. But the mycelium in one place bears fruit for up to 5 years.

Extensive growing method

This is a method of growing mushrooms in a natural environment.

Mycelium is grafted onto logs of aspens, birches, lindens, willows or poplars. To do this, they are well moistened with water and several deep cuts are made on the surface, where the oyster mushroom mycelium is placed and covered with moss or tree bark.

Prepared logs are carefully dug in on the site in the allotted place. It should be shady, well blown by the wind and the sun's rays should not reach it.

The “planted” logs are well watered and covered with a film. If the weather is hot, then they are watered daily. The first harvest will please in 1.5-2 months. The mycelium also bears fruit up to 4 times per season, if it is not forgotten to be watered.

At the end of fruiting, the logs are left in place and kept moist. With such care, mushrooms will appear next year.


At what temperature do oyster mushrooms grow?

Artificially cultivated types of fungal strains are conditionally subdivided according to the maturation of fruiting bodies:

  • Winter variety of oyster mushroom was bred from frost-resistant species, such species are able to bear fruit at a temperature of 4-15°C. They are recognizable by their hats dyed gray or blue.
  • summer variety was imported from Florida. They bear fruit at a temperature of 15-25°C. The fruiting body is delicate and fragile.
  • All season strains were derived from the pulmonary oyster mushroom. Fruiting at temperatures of 6-28°C. Recognizable by various variations of the gray color in which the hat is painted.

Why are oyster mushrooms grown?

Oyster mushrooms are used primarily in cooking. Hats and legs are cooked separately, as they require different cooking times.

In folk medicine, the fungus is used to make a variety of decoctions, infusions and extracts that have anti-inflammatory and bactericidal properties.

0

Publications: 149

Oyster mushroom autumn ( lat. Panellus serotinus).

Synonyms:

  • Oyster mushroom late
  • Oyster mushroom alder
  • Panellus late
  • Pig willow

Hat:

The autumn oyster mushroom hat is fleshy, lobe-shaped, 4-5 cm in size. Initially, the cap is slightly curved at the edges, later the edges are straight and thin, sometimes uneven. Weakly mucous, finely pubescent, shiny in damp weather. The color of the cap is dark, it can take on various shades, but more often it is green-brown or gray-brown, sometimes with light yellowish-green spots or gray with a tinge of purple.

Records:

Adhering, frequent, slightly descending. The edge of the plates is straight. At first, the plates are white, but with age they acquire a dirty grayish-brown hue.

Spore powder:

Leg:

The leg is short, cylindrical, curved, lateral, finely scaly, dense, slightly pubescent. Length 2-3 cm, sometimes completely absent.

Pulp:

The pulp is fleshy, dense, in wet weather watery, yellowish or light, friable. With age, the flesh becomes rubbery and tough. Has no smell.

Fruiting:

Autumn oyster mushroom bears fruit from September to December, until the very snow and frost. For fruiting, a thaw with a temperature of about 5 degrees Celsius is quite enough for him.

Spreading:

Autumn oyster mushroom grows on the stumps and remains of maple, aspen, elm, linden and poplar wood. Mushrooms grow, in groups they mostly grow together with legs, one above the other, forming something similar to a roof.

Edibility:

Autumn oyster mushroom, conditionally edible mushroom. It can be eaten after pre-boiling for 15 minutes or more. The broth must be drained. You can eat the mushroom only at a young age, later it becomes very tough with a slippery thick skin. Also, the mushroom slightly loses its taste after frost, but it remains quite edible.

Systematics:
  • Division: Basidiomycota (Basidiomycetes)
  • Subdivision: Agaricomycotina (Agaricomycetes)
  • Class: Agaricomycetes (Agaricomycetes)
  • Subclass: Agaricomycetidae (Agaricomycetes)
  • Order: Agaricales (Agaric or Lamellar)
  • Family: Mycenaceae (Mycenaceae)
  • Genus: Panellus (Panellus)
  • View: Panellus serotinus (Autumn oyster mushroom)
    Other names for mushroom:

Synonyms:

  • Oyster mushroom late;

  • Oyster mushroom alder;

  • Panellus late;

  • Pig willow;

  • Pleurotus serotinus

Hat:
The autumn oyster mushroom hat is fleshy, lobe-shaped, 4-5 cm in size. Initially, the cap is slightly curved at the edges, later the edges are straight and thin, sometimes uneven. Weakly mucous, finely pubescent, shiny in damp weather. The color of the cap is dark, it can take on various shades, but more often it is green-brown or gray-brown, sometimes with light yellowish-green spots or gray with a tinge of purple.

Records:
Adhering, frequent, slightly descending. The edge of the plates is straight. At first, the plates are white, but with age they acquire a dirty grayish-brown hue.

Spore powder:
White.

Leg:
The leg is short, cylindrical, curved, lateral, finely scaly, dense, slightly pubescent. Length 2-3 cm, sometimes completely absent.

Pulp:
The pulp is fleshy, dense, in wet weather watery, yellowish or light, friable. With age, the flesh becomes rubbery and tough. Has no smell.

Fruiting:
Autumn oyster mushroom bears fruit from September to December, until the very snow and frost. For fruiting, a thaw with a temperature of about 5 degrees Celsius is quite enough for him.

Spreading:
Autumn oyster mushroom grows on stumps and remains of wood of various hardwoods, preferring the wood of maple, aspen, elm, linden, birch and poplar; rarely found on conifers. Mushrooms grow, in groups they mostly grow together with legs, one above the other, forming something similar to a roof.

Edibility:
Oyster mushroom autumn, conditionally edible mushroom. It can be eaten after pre-boiling for 15 minutes or more. The broth must be drained. You can eat the mushroom only at a young age, later it becomes very tough with a slippery thick skin. Also, the mushroom slightly loses its taste after frost, but it remains quite edible.

Video about mushroom Oyster mushroom autumn:

The most common types of oyster mushrooms are ordinary, elm, covered, lung and autumn. All these forms have unique properties, therefore they are widely used in cooking and the pharmaceutical industry. Given the benefits of oyster mushrooms, they are actively used to prepare a variety of dishes, they are used to prepare remedies according to traditional medicine recipes for healing wounds and removing toxins.

In winter, these mushrooms tend to freeze and become hard. At the same time, they are easy to beat off with a stick. The quality of winter oyster mushrooms depends on the stage in which the mushrooms were with a sharp drop in temperature. If the frosts were early, then they can freeze in a young form. In the event of several winter thaws, these mushrooms may disappear. Useful qualities are preserved in winter.

You will learn about what oyster mushrooms look like and what properties they have on this page.


The cap of the common oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus) has a diameter of 4-12 cm. A distinctive feature of the species is the oyster, oval or round shape of the cap, gray-brown, creamy-brown in color with a darker central part. The bases of the fruiting bodies are fused.

In this type of oyster mushroom, the stem is short, asymmetrically located, most often on the side of the cap, it has a height of 2-7 cm and a thickness of 10-25 mm. The stem has the same color as the hat and is located on the side of the hat.

Pulp:


The plates are adherent, descending along the stem, frequent, cream or light yellow in color.

Variability. The color of the cap varies from brown to brownish-gray.

Similar types. In appearance, the common oyster mushroom is similar to the lung oyster mushroom (Pleurotus pulmonarius), which is distinguished by its cream color and ear-shaped cap.

Edibility: ordinary oyster mushrooms have high nutritional properties, can be boiled and fried, canned.

Oyster mushrooms in late November and early December still have their usual appearance. At the end of winter and beginning of spring, they change, acquire a yellow-brown color.

Habitats: deciduous and mixed forests, on decaying hardwood, grow in tiers and groups.

Season: intensive growth - from May to September, and starting from November and in winter, growth stops. In winter, the state of oyster mushrooms on trees depends on the stage at which frost caught them and what climate preceded the onset of negative temperatures. If, by the onset of frost, the poles have reached their maximum growth and are slightly dry, then in winter they dry out a little more and hang on trees in frosts in a semi-solid state, when they can be cut.

If at the time of the onset of frost there was wet weather, then the mushrooms freeze and become hard, “glassy”. In this state, they cannot be cut off the trunk, but they can be beaten off with a stick or plucked off with a knife. The use of an ax is not allowed to avoid damaging the trees.

Here you can see a photo of an oyster mushroom of an ordinary species, the description of which is given above:





What does elm oyster mushroom look like (with photo)


Elm lyophyllum, or elm oyster mushroom (Lyophyllum ulmarium) is extremely rare in winter. In fact, they are edible in the same way as ordinary oyster mushrooms, but are difficult to access due to their high location on tree trunks.

In winter, they most often remain on the bends of oaks, often at a height of more than one and a half meters. Their external condition depends on the moment when the frosts caught them. If the weather was not wet by the onset of negative temperatures, and the oyster mushrooms reached their maximum growth, then they will remain so throughout the winter. In the thaw, they can fade, their edges can become even more wavy, and individual mushrooms turn from light brown to brown-black and completely fade.

These mushrooms should be collected at the beginning of winter or before the end of winter, but not allowed to thaw, when they can wilt, fall off like old leaves.

These mushrooms are the largest among edible winter mushrooms, with an average cap diameter of 10-20 cm.

Habitats: deciduous forests, parks, on stumps and trunks of oak, elm, elm and other deciduous trees, singly or in small groups.

The cap has a diameter of 5-15 cm, sometimes up to 20 cm, at first convex, later prostrate.

As you can see in the photo, a distinctive feature of this type of oyster mushroom is the unusually beautiful color of the cap, like that of a sunflower - sunny, yellowish-brown, the surface of the cap is leathery, finely rough with water spots:





By winter, the surface of the cap becomes straw-yellow and the spots are no longer noticeable. When the mushroom grows on a tree, less often on a stump, it may have an asymmetric arrangement of the legs. The edges of the cap are bent down, they are wavy. The color at the edges is slightly lighter than in the main part of the cap. In winter, the color changes to straw yellow. Old specimens darken, become black-brown or brown-brown.

Leg 4-10 cm long, 7-15 mm thick, whitish-cream at first, later yellowish and light brown. The bases of the legs are often fused.

The pulp is soft, gray-purple, with a mild taste, almost odorless.

The plates are wide, adherent, at first white, later buffy and light brown.

Variability: the color of the cap varies from yellow-golden to dark brown.

Similar types. In autumn, due to its large size and sunny color and watery spots, elm lyophyllum is difficult to confuse with other species. In autumn, this mushroom can be confused in appearance with a crowded row, which differs mainly in its habitat - on the ground, but not on trees. In winter, it has no similar species.

Cooking methods: boiled, fried, salted after preliminary boiling for 15-20 minutes.

See what oyster mushroom looks like in these photos:





Autumn oyster mushroom: photo and description


Habitats of autumn oyster mushroom (Pleurotus salignus): poplars, lindens; grow in groups.

Season: autumn oyster mushrooms grow in September - November until the first snows, and then they freeze until spring, in the absence of thaws in winter, they are well preserved in spring.

The hat of this variety of oyster mushrooms has a diameter of 4-8 cm, sometimes up to 12 cm. All fruiting bodies grow from the same base.


The stalk is short, asymmetrically located, most often on the side of the cap, it is 2-5 cm high and 10-40 mm thick, pubescent. The color of the legs is cream or white-yellowish.

Pulp: thin, dense, white, with a pleasant taste and smell.

As shown in the photo, the plates of this variety of oyster mushrooms are adherent, descending along the stem, frequent, cream or light yellow in color:





Variability. The color of the cap varies from gray-brown to dark brown.

Similar types. Autumn oyster mushroom is similar in shape to oyster oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus), but has a much darker color with a predominance of dark brown.

Cooking methods: mushrooms can be boiled and fried, canned.


Edible, 4th category.

What does an oyster mushroom look like


Oyster mushroom habitats (Pleurotus calyptratus): rotting hardwood - birch, aspen, oak, less often - on stumps and dying coniferous wood - spruce and fir, grow in groups.

Season: April - September.

The hat of this variety of oyster mushrooms has a diameter of 4-10 cm, sometimes up to 12 cm. with radial fibres.

Pay attention to the photo - the leg of this variety of oyster mushrooms is either very short, asymmetrically located, or it is not at all:





Pulp: thin, dense, white, with a pleasant taste and smell.

The plates are frequent, at first white, frequent, later cream or light yellow.


Variability. The color of the cap varies from cream to light brown and gray.

Similar types. The covered oyster mushroom is similar in shape to the oyster mushroom (Pleurotus pulmonarius), which is distinguished by its brown cap and the presence of a stem.


Cooking methods: mushrooms can be boiled, fried, canned.

Description of oyster mushroom


Habitats of oyster mushroom (Pleurotus pulmonarius): rotting hardwood - birch, aspen, oak, less often - on stumps and dying coniferous wood - spruce and fir, grow in groups.

Season: April - September

The hat has a diameter of 4-10 cm, sometimes up to 16 cm. The edges of the cap are thin, often cracked. The color of the middle part of the cap often has a brown tint, while the edges, on the contrary, are lighter, yellowish.

As can be seen in the photo, the edges of the cap of the oyster mushroom of this species are fibrous and have a radial outline:





The stem is short, asymmetrically located, most often on the side of the cap, it is 1-3 cm high and 6-15 mm thick. The leg has a cylindrical shape, white, solid, pubescent.

Pulp: thin, dense, white, with a pleasant taste and smell.

The plates are adherent, descending along the stem, at first white, frequent, later cream or light yellow.


Variability. The color of the cap varies from white and yellowish white to cream and yellowish brown.

Similar types. Pulmonary oyster mushroom is similar to the common oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus), which is distinguished by a bluish-gray cap in young specimens and a gray-blue cap in mature mushrooms.

Accumulation property of harmful substances: this species has the positive property of low accumulation of heavy metals.


Cooking methods: conserve.

Cooking methods: boil and fry, preserve.

These photos show oyster mushrooms of different types, the description of which is presented on this page:





What are the benefits of oyster mushrooms

Oyster mushrooms have unique properties - a unique pantry with a set of mineral salts and other necessary substances necessary for a person.


They contain a complex of vitamins: A, C, D, E, B1, B2, B6, B12, as well as 18 amino acids necessary for humans.

Also, the beneficial properties of oyster mushrooms are due to the high content of amylase and lipase enzymes, which contribute to the breakdown of fats, fiber and glycogen.


They also contain essential unsaturated essential acids, and a number of biologically active substances that help reduce cholesterol and have anti-sclerotic effects.

Oyster mushrooms are very useful for the human body, as they are an excellent effective remedy for the treatment of stomach diseases. To do this, take freshly squeezed mushroom juice on an empty stomach. At the same time, gastritis and ulcers can be cured. Other useful properties of oyster mushrooms include the following:

  • they improve intestinal motility;
  • used to heal wounds and treat ulcers;
  • have hemostatic, emollient and enveloping properties;
  • promote the removal of toxins, poisons, toxins;
  • are a sorbent;
  • are an important component of the anti-cholesterol diet, help lower blood fats, which is very important for heart vessels and blood circulation;
  • oyster mushroom infusion is used for neurosis, for this, finely chopped fresh mushrooms in the amount of 3 tablespoons are poured with half a liter of red wine, for example, Cahors, and infused for a week, the resulting infusion is drunk 2 tablespoons before bedtime;
  • contain compounds with antioxidant activity, as a result, the aging process of the body is reduced; contain substances that promote the excretion of cholesterol from the body, and reduce the risk of atherosclerosis;
  • the inclusion of oyster mushrooms in the diet significantly reduces the likelihood of cancer;
  • show promise in the treatment of tropical malaria.
  • The benefits of oyster mushrooms for humans are also that they have high antibacterial activity.