with off white streaks on the pileus; the gills, white when young, 

 mature to pink. Before sporogenesis, the entire mushroom is 

 covered by a universal \eiK the remnants of which are found ai; 

 the base of the mature basidiocarp. 



These mushrooms are cultivated on rice straw which is 



arranged in bundles weighing up to 4.5 pounds and about 3', 



feet in length. The bundles consist of the leafless stems of rice 

 and are soaked in water for twenty four hours before they art 

 innoculated. The fungi are grown without light, and the beds are 

 occasionally fertilized. The cultivation of straw mushrooms h 

 common only in Kwantung Province of south China. Most of 

 the straw mushrooms on the international market are produced 

 in Taiwan. 



Lentinus edodes (P. Henn.) Singer 



In America, this is the best known Chinese mushroom. 

 Though commonly known as the Black Fungus; it is properl> 

 referred to as Shiitake, which is the correct Japanese name. Thi^ 

 is a temperate species growing on rotting wood. The pileus is 

 brown but furrowed b> white fissures and may be as much as 2C 

 cm. in diameter. The stipe is brown and lacks an annulus. It is 

 attached to the pileus excentrically and measures 3 4 cm. in 

 length and 1 1.3 cm. in width. The gills are colourless and con- 

 tinue as ribs to the ape.x of the stipe. 



Cultivation of the Shiitake mushroom is an ancient practice 

 that began in Japan at least a thousand years ago. Today, in 

 Fukien Province in China, the Shiitake is still semi-cultivated. A 

 patch of oak woods on a second growth hillside will be felled. 

 The elders invite all the neighbours and announce that the area 

 is a mushroom reserve. No one is then allowed to disturbe the 

 site. To remove wood for firewood would be considered stealing. 

 The area may be watered and will occasionally be artificially 

 innoculated. The mycellia penetrate the stems, and, within a 

 year, the fruiting bodies will be produced. 



Tremelles fuciformis Berk 



This phragmobasidiomycete, known as Silver Ear, is a highly 

 prized fungus eaten less as a vegetable than as a tonic. It is in 

 greatest demand in south China and is so valuable that in pre- 



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