Lentinula

Lentinula, a genus of at least six species of wood-dwelling fungi, best known for the edible and medicinal shiitake mushroom, Lentinula edodes (formerly Lentinus edodes). Found primarily in the tropical and subtropical regions of North and South America, Asia, and Australia, Lentinula fungi feed saprotrophically on the deadwood of broad-leaved trees, especially oaks and various other trees in the order Fagales. The fruiting bodies of these fungi are generally light-colored to reddish brown or black, with a convex to flat pileus (cap) supported by a fibrous stipe (stalk). The pileus can be 2–25 cm (0.8–10 inches) in diameter, depending on the species, and features white gills on the underside. Lentinula species characteristically produce white spores.

Native to East Asia, the shiitake mushroom is among the most commonly cultivated fungi in the world. Important in a number of Asian and vegetarian dishes, shiitake mushrooms are high in dietary fiber, B vitamins (especially pantothenic acid), copper, selenium, manganese, and iron. The fungus has been used extensively in traditional Asian medicine and has a number of biologically active chemicals, such as the polysaccharide lentinan, that some studies suggest may prove beneficial against cancer and other diseases.