Golden Oyster Mushroom

Conservation Status

IUCN Red List

not listed

NatureServe

not listed

Minnesota

not listed

Description

Golden Oyster Mushroom is an exotic, attractive, edible mushroom. It is native to eastern Russia, northern China, and Japan. It was introduced and is now naturalized in other parts of Asia and in Europe, Africa, and North and South America. In the United States it occurs from New York and New Jersey west to Minnesota and Iowa. It is uncommon in the southeast and metro regions of Minnesota, absent in the rest of the state. It is found in clusters in deciduous woodlands growing on dead stumps and logs. It gets its nutrients from decaying hardwood (saprobic), especially elm.

The cap is convex, sunken in the center, and ¾″ to 29 ⁄16″ (20 to 65 mm) in diameter. It is bright yellow at first, fading to white from the margins inward as it ages. It is very fragile when mature.

The stalk is white, ¾″ to 2″ (20 to 50 mm) long, and 1 ⁄16″ to 5 ⁄16″ (2 to 8 mm) thick. It is often curved when growing on the side of a log.

The gills are white, closely-spaced, and run down the stalk.

The flesh is thin, white, and edible.

Similar Species

Habitat and Hosts

Hardwood logs

Ecology

Season

Distribution

Sources

7, 24, 30, 77, 83.

Biodiversity occurrence data published by: Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas (accessed through the Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas Portal, bellatlas.umn.edu. Accessed 5/17/2026).

Pleurotus citrinopileatus Singer in GBIF Secretariat (2023). GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Checklist dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/39omei accessed via GBIF.org. Accessed 5/17/2026.

Mycology Collections Portal (MyCoPortal) https://www.mycoportal.org/portal/collections/index.php). Accessed 5/17/2026.