Auricularia cornea

Appearance

Fruit bodies 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 90 millimetres 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. The basidia are cylindrical, hyaline, three-septate, 60–75 × 4–6 μm. The spores are hyaline, allantoid , and 14–16.5 × 4.5–6 μm.

Naming

The species is one of several gelatinous fungi known as wood ear, wood fungus, ear fungus, or tree ear fungus, which alludes to their rubbery, ear-shaped fruitbodies.

In Hawaii, it is known as ''pepeiao'' which means "ear" In Chinese cooking, it is often referred to as "black treasure". In New Zealand, it is known as ''hakeke'' by Māori.

Distribution

''Auricularia cornea'' grows on dead fallen or standing wood of broadleaf trees. The species is widely distributed in southern Asia, Africa, Australasia and the Pacific, and South America.

Habitat

''Auricularia cornea'' grows on dead fallen or standing wood of broadleaf trees. The species is widely distributed in southern Asia, Africa, Australasia and the Pacific, and South America.

Uses

100 g of dry cloud ear fungus contains 70.1 g of dietary fibre.

''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. The slight crunchiness persists despite most cooking processes. ''Auricularia cornea'' is coarser than ''A. heimuer'', and is more likely to be used in soups rather than stir fries.

Māori traditionally cooked wood ear fungus by steaming in an earth oven and eating with sow thistle and potatoes. From the 1870s to the 1950s, the fungus was collected and exported from New Zealand to China. The white, unpigmented form is now cultivated in China.

According to Chinese medicine practitioners, eating dried and cooked wood ear can have health benefits for people with high blood pressure or cancer, and can prevent coronary heart disease and arteriosclerosis.

This fungus is used in Cantonese desserts.