Oyster mushrooms are one of the most popular edible mushrooms and belong to the genus Pleurotus and the family Pleurotaceae.
They were was first cultivated in Germany as a subsistence measure during World War I and is now grown commercially around the world for food.
Oyster mushroom is one of the more commonly sought wild mushrooms, though it can also be cultivated on straw and other media.
It often has the scent of anise due to the presence of benzaldehyde (which smells more like almonds).
Like oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus), many of Pleurotus mushrooms are primary decomposers of hardwood trees and are found worldwide.
This mushroom has basidia with four basidiospores and a tetra polar mating system. Its hyphae have clamp connections and most members of the genus, excepting a small minority, have amonomitichyphal system.
Fruiting bodies as well as active mycelia of Pleurotus species also possesses a number of therapeutic properties like anti-inflammatory, immunostimulator and anticancer activity, immunomodulatory, ribonuclease activity and many other activities.