Pleurotus parsonsiae
Pleurotus parsonsiae, also known as velvet oyster mushroom, is a species of edible fungus in the genus Pleurotus, endemic to New Zealand.
Description
General
- The cap grows from 7 to about 12 cm, creamy fawn, darker when wet or grey yellow, darker towards margin, paler towards stipe, drying ochraceous, orbicular with margin, down-rolled at first and later splitting. It is dry, smooth, matt to finely fibrillose, hence the "velvet" common name.
- The flesh is creamy white.
- The stem is short, sometimes absent, from 8 by 8 mm., to 1 by1.5 cm.
- The gills are decurrent to deeply decurrent, creamy, moderately crowded, thin, deep, with margins becoming lacerate.
- The spore print is white, becoming creamy.
Microscopic characteristics
- The spores are around 9-11 μm by 4-4.5 μm, non-amyloid, thin-walled.