The fruiting body is attached to the substrate directly, either by the edge or by the middle. The slightly hairy surface produces spores. The other side is very finely hairy and may appear whitish as a result. One side, generally the upper side, is smooth. The entire fruiting body is a thin, irregular disc (may be ear-shaped) that is rubbery or gelatinous in texture and reddish-brown in color. To what extent eating whole mushroom might have a therapeutic effect is not clear.Īuricularia Auricula-Judae Identification and DescriptionĬap: There is no cap per se. The wood ear is an exotic mushroom valued largely for its culinary qualities, but has been used traditionally as medicine in both Asia and Europe, and it does contain potentially medicinal substances. There are more distantly-related look-alikes as well, though experienced foragers can spot the difference without much trouble. Cultivated wood ear may also differ from the wild form biochemically, either because of its genetics or because of its diet (typically sawdust and gain, not solid wood). auricula-judae without a microscope, and how they might differ from each other biochemically is not clear. The species of the North American complex are almost impossible to distinguish from each other or from true A. As result, it can be difficult to tell which species is actually being discussed. Older sources lump all these species together, and some newer accounts could as well, if the authors drew from older information.
Now, the North American wood ear appears to be not one but two or even three species, not all of which even have names yet, none of which are now included as A. It is Eurasian, but up until recently it was thought to have a North American distribution as well. Where the wood ear lives is a difficult question. It’s often available dried, when it loses its rubbery quality and turns black. And yet this rubbery ear can be eaten and has been cultivated for food in China for centuries. The fruiting body does, indeed, often resemble a human ear growing out of a tree and has a very rubbery texture, like gummy candy. Auricularia Auricula-Judae or the wood ear is an odd-looking fungus with a long list of common names, including black fungus, jelly ear fungus, Judas ear, and the truly unfortunate moniker, Jew’s ear.