Pale oysterPleurotus pulmonarius

The cap of the pale oyster reaches 4 to 8, occasionally up to 15 centimeters across. It is fan-shaped, tongue-shaped or almost semicircular, with a thin, often wavy or slightly split margin. The surface is smooth, dry and matte. The coloring is pale: whitish-gray, cream or pale ocher, often darker where it attaches to the wood; with age and in sunlight the cap turns noticeably yellow. It's this pale, almost white color that sets the species apart from the grayish-brown oyster mushroom.

The underside has gills. The gills are white or cream, fairly distant and thick, running noticeably down the stem, and where there is no stem, running all the way down to where the cap attaches. The spore print is white or with a barely noticeable lilac tinge. Decurrent white gills that stay pale for a long time are a characteristic feature of oyster mushrooms.

The stem is short or almost absent, usually lateral or off-center, up to 4 centimeters long, dirty white, downy-hairy at the base. Several mushrooms often grow together at the stems in a single cluster. The stem flesh is tough, especially in mature specimens, so mostly the caps are eaten. There is no ring and no volva.

The flesh is white, tender and juicy in young mushrooms, becoming firmer and fibrous with age, especially closer to the stem. It does not change color when cut. The taste is mild and pleasant, with no bitterness. For the table, choose young caps with tender flesh.

The smell is pleasant and mushroomy, sometimes with a barely perceptible hint of anise or flour. The aroma is fresh and not sharp, so for identification rely first of all on the pale fan-shaped cap, the decurrent white gills and growth in clusters on hardwood.