xylogenous means growing on wood, so I take it that the Chinese Ear Fungi is xylogenous.
I went for a walk to a park next to Mt Albert Grammar school. I came across this tree stump which has some Chinese Ear Fungi growing. I have never been here, so I walked rather slowly and clicked as I went along.
This
fungi is eaten by the Chinese and has a rubbery texture. You can buy
them in dry form, soak it to reconstitute and it expands about 5 times
its size. Not many people like it as it feels slimy and rubbery. I used
to pick them when I was a child in Borneo.I remember reading how this Chinese man made his fortune in New Zealand by shipping them to China. The Kiwis, Pakehas and Maoris laughed at this China man, but he had the last laugh. He laughed all the way to the bank.
So now, I will be keenly looking at tree stumps and hope to make my millions.
Wood ear fungus
The first commercial sale of edible fungi in New Zealand was in the 1870s, when Taranaki merchant Chew Chong sent bags of dried wood-ear fungus (Auricularia cornea) to his homeland, China. The fungus was in demand for the crunchy, chewy texture it added to food.
Wood ear fungus grows naturally on dead trees in lowland forest. Tonnes were harvested as settlers cleared forest for farming, and exports to China continued until the 1950s. In the 2000s, the fungus is now mostly imported to New Zealand from China, in dry form. Taiwanese growers had started cultivating a closely related fungus on sawdust blocks in the 1960s, and it became uneconomic to harvest it in the wild. A small quantity is now grown in New Zealand for the domestic market.
Alphabe-Thursday letter F
http://jennymatlock.blogspot.co.nz/search/label/Alphabe-Thursday
11 comments:
Ann, we have these types of growths on trees here in Tanzania. My husband warned me not to pick them as they may be poisonous. Your post makes me re-think this! Hope you're having a great day. Jo
I'm fascinated by the many, many fungi around the world. Thank you for posting this, Ann.
Creative photo of nature's variety for F ~ thanks, ^_^
artmusedog and carol (A Creative Harbor)
Interesting photo. I like eating mushrooms of all types...they taste so...earthy. Learned a new word today. For me that's always fun.
Fun fungi post!
Amazing...and so educational!!
Interesting...all the fungi around Chicagoland seem poisonous. Good post for letter F♪ http://lauriekazmierczak.com/forensic-focus/
I do so love reading an entertaining post and learning something at the same time! Thanks.
This was fascinating. I've never actually seen that growing on a tree.
I'm not a big fan either...the texture puts me off.
I do enjoy eating fabulous 'more domestic' mushrooms though.
Thanks for linking for the letter F.
A+
This was fascinating. I've never actually seen that growing on a tree.
I'm not a big fan either...the texture puts me off.
I do enjoy eating fabulous 'more domestic' mushrooms though.
Thanks for linking for the letter F.
A+
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