King Oyster
Scientific name: Pleurotus eryngii
Synonyms: King Oyster, King Trumpet Mushroom, Boletus of the Steppes, Xìng Xào Gu, Eringi, Saesongi Peoseot
Natural habitat: The King oyster mushroom can be found primarily on the dying or dead roots of deciduous wood, especially in southern Europe and North Africa, Central Asia and southern Russia. Sometimes Eryngii can also be found on roots of roses or Apiaceae / Umbelliferae family.
Appropriate substrate: Hardwood (most suitable: oak, beech), wheat straw
Usage: Edible mushroom, vital mushroom
The King oyster mushroom produces fruiting bodies with a very delicious taste. The texture of the flesh is comparable to boletus. For cooking one may use Eryngii like boletus. Fruiting bodies have diamters 3-10 cm; the shaft becoming 3-10 cm long. The fruiting bodies of King oyster weigh up to 300 grams under good environmental conditions. Fresh fruit bodies can be stored in the fridge for about 2 weeks!
Pleurotus is rich in B vitamins such as thiamine, riboflavin, and niacin, vitamin C, vitamin D (calciferol) and folic acid. One fourth of the dry matter of pleurotus is proteins, containing all essential amino acids. The most important compounds of pleurotus are lovastatin and the polysaccharide pleuran.
Taxonomy:
Class: Basidiomycetes
Division: Agaricomycetidae
Order: Agaricales
Familiy: Pleurotaceae
Genus: Pleurotus
Species: P. eryngii
Spores: white, 7 - 9,5 µ x 3,5 µ