Ostreatus white spongy rot
- Latin name: Pleurotus ostreatus (Jacq.:Fr.) P. Kumm.
- French name: Carie blanche spongieuse à Pleurotus ostreatus
- Division: Basidiomycota
- Class: Agaricomycetes
- Synonym(s): Pleurotus limpidus (Fr.) Gill.,
Pleurotus salignus (Pers.:Fr.) P. Kumm.,
Pleurotus sapidus Kalchbr.,
Pleurotus similis Peck
Description
Micro-habitat(s)
Trunk
Distribution
Eastern Canada
Damage, symptoms and biology
The fungus causes decay of the sapwood, affecting mainly the vertical part of the trunk. The damage is not severe and has little or no physiological effect on the trees. The infection is initiated when spores colonize a small wound on the trunk. Once the infection is well established in the outer sapwood, the fruiting body develops and becomes visible. The fruiting body, which bears the spores, is convex-shaped and flattens to a wavy margin; the upper surface is smooth and slightly downy near its attachment to the stem. The colour ranges from yellow-white in young specimens to gray-brown in the oldest ones.
Other information
The oyster mushroom fruiting body is edible and has a mild flavour when harvested young. Be sure to carefully identify mushrooms before eating them.
Canadian Forest Service Publications
Information on host(s)
Main host(s)
American beech, birch, cherries / plums, elms, hickory, juniper, maple, oaks, poplars / aspens / cottonwoods
Photos
Fruiting body André Carpentier
Fruiting body André Carpentier
Fruiting body André Carpentier