Lentinula

Notes

Tough-fleshed mushrooms found on fallen wood, characterised by the hairy pale scales on the dark cap, and the ragged edge to the gills. Stalk slightly darkened towards base, tough, no ring. Spore print white. Saprobic.
Could be confused with some species of Gymnopilus, but these have brown spore prints. Armillaria has a similar, tough stalk and white spores, but has a ring on the stalk and grows in large groups, whereas Lentinula is more often solitary or in small groups. Tricholompsis also on wood and with white spores, can be distinguiished by its bright yellow gills.

 

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Images		NZFungi Entry

Lentinula novae-zelandiae
The New Zealand shiitake. A fine, edible mushroom, genetically slightly distinct from the cultivated shiitake, L. edodes.

Lentinula edodes
The shiitake mushroom is cultivated in New Zealand and internationally, but not known to be naturalised in New Zealand. The illustration shows the uneven gill edge characteristic of the genus.