Oyster mushroom or Porcelain fungus

Cap 5–25 cm across, rounded or ear-shaped in young mushrooms, then fan-shaped or oyster-shaped (hence the English name oyster mushroom). Surface smooth, moist, from dark grey or grey-blue in young ones to pale grey or almost white in mature ones. Margin wavy, thin.

The cap is 2 to 8 cm across, occasionally up to 10 cm. It starts convex or hemispherical, then becomes broadly convex or flattened. Young caps are greyish or olive-grey, later white and translucent like porcelain, often with a faint ochre flush in the centre.

In wet weather it's coated in thick, clear slime, though young caps are almost dry. The margin is thin, and the gills show through it.

Gills crowded, whitish or cream, running from the cap down the stem. In young mushrooms the gills are tightly packed; in old ones they spread apart. Spore print white or pale lilac.

The gills are broad, very widely spaced, attached to the stem, white and translucent, and can turn slightly ochre with age.

The spore print is white and very abundant.

Stem 1–5 cm tall (or almost absent in side-attached mushrooms), 1–2.5 cm thick, firm, off-centre or lateral, white or slightly grey. No ring and no volva.

The stem is 3 to 8 cm tall, occasionally up to 10 cm, and 3 to 10 mm thick, slim and tough, often curved, and slightly swollen at the base. It's white and finely lined above the ring, greyish and finely scaly below it.

The ring is white, membranous, prominent, slimy and grooved.

Flesh white, firm in young mushrooms, more fibrous and tough in mature ones, especially in the stem. Taste mild, slightly anise-like. It soaks up flavours well in cooking.

The flesh is thin and white, turning brownish at the stem base with age.

Smell pleasant, subtly anise-mushroomy. Fresh oyster mushrooms smell soft and unobtrusive; when fried, the aroma grows stronger and closer to the classic mushroom smell.

The smell and taste aren't distinctive.