Black wood ear

Identity and naming

Auricularia heimuer was described as a new species by Wu and colleagues in 2014 in Phytotaxa, because no existing name applied to the most important Chinese Auricularia species. Before that, it was misdetermined as A. auricula-judae, a very similar species.

The name A. auricula-judae is now restricted to the European species. The Chinese and East Asian product still often sold under the name A. auricula-judae or A. auricula is A. heimuer. The catalogue lists the search alias "Auricularia auricula-judae sensu Asian cultivation literature" for this reason.

Appearance and habitat

Wu and colleagues describe A. heimuer as having effused-reflexed or substipitate fruiting bodies with fawn to reddish-brown upper surfaces. Wikipedia contrasts this with the dark grey to almost black fruiting bodies of A. auricula-judae.

The fungus decays wood. Both A. heimuer and the related A. villosula grow on angiosperm (broadleaf) wood, while A. americana is found on conifer wood only.

Cultivation

A. heimuer is one of the most extensively cultivated mushrooms. Wikipedia records commercial-scale cultivation, particularly in China and Southeast Asia. Auricularia cornea is also cultivated at scale. The mushroom industry treats A. villosula as A. heimuer, so commercial product may combine these concepts.

The catalogue records the supply as widely cultivated and the use as fresh and dried, valued for its texture.

Food use

Fresh and dried black wood ear are used as a texture ingredient in cooked dishes, where its gelatinous, crisp-soft character is the point of use. The sources reviewed do not give a single standard method, so none is set out here.

The catalogue lists the use as a fresh and dried food fungus and records the supply as widely cultivated, with a food-market evidence category.

Storage and handling

The sources reviewed do not give a validated storage method, shelf life or preservation process for the dried product. Dried black wood ear is sold commercially; any storage advice should come from the seller or a food-safety source for the product type, not from this page.

Safety and limits

Identification and safety: a name, a photograph or one regional guide does not confirm that a wild specimen is this species. This page is not a collection key. Edibility statements refer to the named species as understood by each source, not any particular specimen. Because the cultivated product has long carried the wrong name, a label reading "A. auricula-judae" from an Asian source may refer to A. heimuer. The catalogue flags that older A. polytricha usage may be misapplied and that wood ears should not all be merged.