The Delicious Golden Oyster Mushroom Has Become an Invasive Species
Jingwei Zhao
The golden oyster mushroom is a delicious fungus native to Asia, and they have also been found in the Great Lakes. However, a new study reveals that their population has been rapidly expanding and could potentially crowd out the other native species in the area.
The mushroom species had been growing in the region for the past few years, and many foragers, or fungi enthusiasts, have come across the mushrooms. They tend to bloom on decaying or dead trees, and have spread prolifically throughout the Great Lakes. They are easy to grow and taste wonderful.
However, they have been spreading too quickly over the past five years. The species is overtaking the supplies of other native mushrooms in the area, with no signs of slowing down. They have been classified as an invasive species, and experts are unsure how to contain them.
Aishwarya Veerabahu, a doctoral student and mycologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, explained, “I don’t think anyone would hesitate to call it invasive. As of now, there are no management strategies available to control its spread.” In their studies, Veerabahu and other colleagues have described the fungus as “a literal and figurative bright yellow warning.”
The species was most likely introduced to the U.S. by humans. The fungus or growing kits for it can be found at horses, meaning the fungus could have spread from growing in people’s backyards. The mushrooms were first spotted around a decade ago, blooming in Midwestern forests.
However, “It’s just been popping up like crazy all over the place,” said Matthew P. Nelsen, a research scientist and mycologist at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago. He also commented that the golden oyster mushroom supremacy “paints a troubling picture of what this means for the diversity of wood-rotting fungi, and all the other organisms that rely on these fungi.”
In a study conducted in Wisconsin during the summer of 2022, the study authors examined 78 samples of wood hospitable to the mushroom. The wood samples were drilled from 26 dead elm trees, and 15 of those trees were found to host the mushrooms. As for those 15 trees, the number of other mushroom species they hosted were only half as many as the other trees that did not host the golden oyster.
The species may also affect other types of life. Since they spread rapidly throughout decaying or dead trees, other plants or animals that live in old trees could be losing their habitat. According to data compiled from amateur foragers on apps like iNaturalist and Mushroom Observer, the mushroom has been spotted in places far away from the Great Lakes, such as Texas or Colorado. They also spread even further with changing weather patterns, meaning that climate change could also further their dominance.
People have been able to take the mushrooms and incorporate them into their food. According to the New York Times, the best clusters are when the fungi are “not too mature and not too bug-bitten,” and they “can be delicious.” Chef and foraged food specialist, Alan Bergo, likes to cook the fungi with thyme, butter, and sometimes garlic. He said, “When you see them, it’s awe-inspiring in a scary way. They have this meaty, umami, nutty quality to them.”
Despite being an invasive species, the mushrooms are flavorful nonetheless, as they have been harvested and integrated into people’s cuisines. The study authors have put the mushrooms in tacos and omelettes, which can be a pleasant addition. However, researchers have eventually grown tired of the taste. Study author Michelle Jusino explained, “Aishwarya and I have both smelled this thing too much to find it to be enticing anymore.”
