| Auricularia cornea | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Auricularia cornea, New Zealand | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Basidiomycota |
| Class: | Agaricomycetes |
| Order: | Auriculariales |
| Family: | Auriculariaceae |
| Genus: | Auricularia |
| Species: | A. cornea |
| Binomial name | |
| Auricularia cornea Ehrenb. (1820) | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Auricularia cornea, also known ascloud ear, is a species of fungus in the orderAuriculariales. It is commercially cultivated in China, being a popular ingredient in manyChinese dishes and used intraditional Chinese medicine.
Auricularia cornea was originally described from Hawaii (Oahu) by German naturalistChristian Gottfried Ehrenberg in 1820. It was accepted as a distinct species by Bernard Lowy in his 1952 world monograph ofAuricularia[1] and subsequently confirmed as distinct bymolecular research, based oncladistic analysis ofDNA sequences.[2]
Formerly,Auricularia cornea was often misidentified asA. polytricha.[3] That species was originally described from theEastern Ghats in India by French mycologistCamille Montagne in 1834, and (when used by American authors) is considered as a synonym ofA. nigricans.[2] The misidentification remains widespread, at least in Japan.[4]
The species is one of several gelatinous fungi known aswood ear,wood fungus,ear fungus, ortree ear fungus, alluding to their rubbery, ear-shaped fruitbodies.[5]
InHawaii it is known aspepeiao, which means "ear",[6] while inChinese cooking it is often referred to as "black treasure".[7] In New Zealand it is known ashakeke byMāori,[8][5] while in the Philippines it is commonly referred to astaingang daga ortenga ng daga (rat's ears).[9]
The fruit bodies are solitary or clustered, ear-shaped, laterally attached to wood, sometimes by a very short stalk, elastic, gelatinous, pale brown to reddish brown, rarely white, up to 9 centimetres (3+1⁄2 inches) wide and 2 mm thick. The upper surface is densely hairy and the lower surface is smooth.
Microscopically, the hairs on the upper surface are thick-walled, 180–425 × 6–9 μm. Thebasidia are cylindrical, hyaline, three-septate, 60–75 × 4–6 μm. Thespores are hyaline, allantoid (sausage-shaped), and 14–16.5 × 4.5–6 μm.[3]
Auricularia cornea grows on dead fallen or standing wood of broadleaf trees. The species is widely distributed in southern Asia, Africa,Australasia, thePacific Islands, and South America.[2][3]
100 g of dry cloud ear fungus contains 70.1 g ofdietary fibre.[10]
Auricularia cornea is usually sold in dried form, and needs to be soaked in water before use. While almost tasteless, it is prized for its slippery but slightly crunchy texture, and its potential nutritional benefits.[11] The slight crunchiness persists despite most cooking processes.[12]Auricularia cornea is coarser thanA. heimuer, and is more likely to be used in soups rather thanstir fries.[13]
Māori traditionally cooked wood ear fungus by steaming in an earth oven and eating withsow thistle andpotatoes.[14] From the 1870s to the 1950s, the fungus was collected and exported from New Zealand to China.[8][5] The white, unpigmented form is now cultivated in China.[3][15]
This fungus is used inCantonese desserts.
Although notevidence-based, according totraditional Chinese practitioners, eating dried and cooked wood ear can have health benefits for people withhigh blood pressure or cancer, and can prevent coronary heart disease and arteriosclerosis.[7]
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