Pleurotus

Pleurotus is a genus of gilled mushrooms which includes one of the most widely eaten mushrooms, "P. ostreatus". Species of "Pleurotus" may be called oyster, abalone, or tree mushrooms, and are some of the most commonly cultivated edible mushrooms in the world. "Pleurotus" fungi have also been used in mycoremediation of pollutants, such as petroleum and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.
Etymology.
The genus name "Pleurotus" literally means "side ear" in reference to the mushroom caps being laterally attached to the substrate. It is a composite of the Ancient Greek words : pleurá - "side", and the stem "-oto" referring to ears (from , ὠτός : "ear").
Description.
The caps may be laterally attached (with no stipe). If there is a stipe, it is normally eccentric and the gills are decurrent along it. The term "pleurotoid" is used for any mushroom with this general shape.
The spores are smooth and elongated (described as "cylindrical"). Where hyphae meet, they are joined by clamp connections. "Pleurotus" is not considered to be a bracket fungus, and most of the species are monomitic (with a soft consistency). However, remarkably, "Pleurotus dryinus" can sometimes be dimitic, meaning that it has additional skeletal hyphae, which give it a tougher consistency like bracket fungi.
Ecology.
"Pleurotus" fungi are found in both tropical and temperate climates throughout the world. Most species of "Pleurotus" are white-rot fungi on hardwood trees, although some also decay conifer wood. "Pleurotus eryngii" is unusual in being a weak parasite of herbaceous plants, and "P. tuber-regium" produces underground sclerotia. In addition to being saprotrophic, all species of "Pleurotus" are also nematophagous, catching nematodes by paralyzing them with a toxin.
Cuisine.
Oyster mushrooms are popular for cooking, torn up instead of sliced, especially in stir fry or sauté, because they are consistently thin, and so will cook more evenly than uncut mushrooms of other types. They are often used in vegetarian cuisine.
Taxonomy.
The classification of species within the genus "Pleurotus" is difficult due to high phenotypic variability across wide geographic ranges, geographic overlap of species, and on going evolution and speciation. Early taxonomic efforts placed the oyster mushrooms within a very broad "Agaricus" as "Agaricus ostreatus" (Jacq. 1774). Paul Kummer defined the genus "Pleurotus" in 1871; since then, the genus has been narrowed with species moving to other genera such as "Favolaschia", "Hohenbuehelia", "Lentinus", "Marasmiellus", "Omphalotus", "Panellus", "Pleurocybella", and "Resupinatus". See Singer (1986) for an example of "Pleurotus" taxonomy based on morphological characteristics.
Phylogeny.
More recently, molecular phylogenetics has been utilized to determine genetic and evolutionary relationships between groups within the genus, delineating discrete clades. "Pleurotus", along with the closely related genus "Hohenbuehelia", has been shown to be monophyletic. Tests of cross-breeding viability between groups have been used to further define which groups are deserving of species rank, as opposed to subspecies, variety, or synonymy. If two groups of morphologically distinct "Pleurotus" fungi are able to cross-breed and produce fertile offspring, they meet one definition of species. These reproductively discrete groups, referred to as intersterility groups, have begun to be defined in "Pleurotus". Many binomial names used in literature are now being grouped together as species complexes using this technique, and may change.
Phylogenetic species.
The following species list is organized according to 1. phylogenetic clade, 2. intersterility group (group number in Roman numerals) or sub-clade, and then 3. any older binomial names that have been found to be closely related, reproductively compatible, or synonymous, although they may no longer be taxonomically valid. This list is likely to be incomplete.