Grey oyster - Pleurotus ostreatus
- The Foraging Course Company
- May 20
- 2 min read
Updated: Jun 2
Edible mushroom - novice Season - autumn to winter Common names grey oyster, tree oyster
Scientific name meaning: The genus name comes from the Greek Pleura, meaning a rib or the side, and in reference to how the stem is at the side of the mushroom. Ostreatus is from the Latin Ostrea, meaning an oyster
Habitat  The grey oyster is a saprobic, sometimes weakly parasitic, fungus living on dead or dying deciduous wood. |
Overall structure and growth  The fruit bodies of grey oyster tend to grow in overlapping, tightly-packed groups emerging from their wood substrate. |
Cap  The cap is between 5 to18cm in diameter and can be grey, blue-grey, cream or brown. It is shaped like a fan, kidney bean or shell with a wavy edge on larger specimens. As it ages, a depression can form. |
Gills and spores  The gills start off white, becoming a pale cream inn colour. They are crowded and decurrent (running down the stem). The spore colour is white to pale lilac-grey. |
Stem  The stem is short and to the side of the cap or offset. The individual stems often meet at a mycellial mass at their bases. |
Flesh, smell and taste  The flesh is white and has a mild mushroomy smell and slightly astringent taste. |
Possible lookalikes  Could be confused with angel wings (Pleurocybella porrigens), which is believed to be toxic. But, this is white colour and grows on coniferous wood. It is unusual to find south of Scotland in the UK. Oysterlings may also be confused with grey oysters but the largest of these reaches around 6cm with the exception of one that has lilac then brown gills. |
Use as a food A popular cultivated mushroom as well as a wild mushroom, the grey oyster can be used in a wide range of mushroom dishes Hazards None known
Use in herbal medicine and medicine The grey oyster is believed to boost brain health, help with inflammation, reduce cholesterol and inhibit cancer growth
If you are suffering from any ailment or need medical advice, please see your General Practitioner Other uses Used in environmental mycoremediation to clear oil spills Importance to other species Provides food for a the larvae of a number of fly species
Always stay safe when foraging. You need to be 100% sure of your identification, 100% sure that your foraged item is edible, and 100% sure that you are not allergic to it (it is good practice to always try a small amount of any new food you are consuming). If in doubt, leave it out!
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