Lentinula edodes

Lentinula edodes

Edibility:	edible
Substrates:	hardwoods
Synonyms
Shiitake Lentinus edodes Agaricus edodes Chinese black mushroom Black forest mushroom Fragrant mushroom
Scientific Classification
Kindom:	Fungi
Phylum:	Basidiomycota
Class:	Agaricomycetes
Order:	Agaricales
Family:	Tricholomataceae
Genus:	Lentinula
Species:	Edodes

The Shiitake (Lentinula edodes) is an edible mushroom native to East Asia, which is cultivated and consumed in many Asian countries. Shittake's cultivation in the west is generally limited to hobby cultivators.

• Cap: 5-25 cm broad, black when young, dark brown to light brown with age and hemispheric, expanding to convex and planar at maturity.
• Spore print: white
• Spores: 5-6.5 x 3-3.5 microns, ovoid to oblong ellipsoid.
• Bruising: brown
• Gills: white and even at first, serrated with age
• Stipe: fibrous and tough
• Veil: absent
• Mycelium: white at first, becoming longitudinally linear and cottony-aerial in age, rarely rhizomorphic. In age or in response to damage, the mycelium becomes dark brown.

Cultivation

Parameters

Spawn run

• Temperature: 70-80°F (21-27°C)
• Humidity: 95-100%
• Duration: 35-70 days
• CO₂: >10,000 ppm
• Light reqs: 50-100 lux

Primordia Formation

• Temperature: 50-60°F (10-16°C) for cold weather strain,
  60-70°F (16-21°C) for warm weather strain,
• Humidity: 95-100%
• Duration: 5-7 days
• CO₂: <1000 ppm
• Light reqs: 500-2000 lux @ 370-420nm
• FAEs: 5-8 per hour

Fruit body Development

• Temperature: 50-70°F (10-21°C) for cold weather strain,
  60-80°F (16-27°C) for warm weather strain,
• Humidity: (85) 90-95%
• Duration: 5-8 days
• CO₂: <1000 ppm
• Light reqs: 500-2000 lux @ 370-420nm
• FAEs: 5-8 per hour

Substrates

Shiitake mushrooms prefer broad-leaf hardwoods such as oak, ironwood, sweetgum, beech, poplar, cottonwood andalder. The species fruits well from wood chips, sawdust or whole logs.

Guides

• Sawdust block technique (guide)
• Hardwood log technique (guide)