Did you know about Mushrooms That Look Like Ears? If not, read this article and get ready to be amazed by their quirky appearance!
Mushrooms come in different shapes and sizes, and some even resemble human ears, too. If you want to know the names and some interesting details of ear-shaped mushrooms, read this article carefully.
Mushrooms That Look Like Ears
1. Wood Ear Mushroom
Botanical Name – Auricularia auricula-judae
The wood ear mushroom has a gelatinous, ear-like fruiting body that grows on rotted wood. It’s a well-known edible fungus that has been used in ancient Chinese medicine for many centuries.
2. Apricot Jelly Mushroom
Botanical Name – Guepinia helvelloides
Apricot jelly mushroom mimics the appearance of an ear with its curved cap and ear canal-shaped stipe. This 2-4″ tall fungus is a common sight in bottomland forests, swamps, wet prairies, coniferous forests, and lowlands.
3. Rabbit Ears
Botanical Name – Otidea leporina
This quirky mushroom draws attention with its hobbit or rabbit ear-shaped fruiting body that can become 7 cm tall and 4 cm across. It was named by the German botanist ‘Karl Wilhelm Gottlieb Leopold Fuckel’ in the year 1870.
4. Jelly Ear Mushroom
Botanical Name – Auricularia americana
Jelly ear fungus features an irregularly ribbed and veined, ear-shaped fruiting body in shades of olive-brown, red-brown, or blackish-brown. This mushroom is slightly hairy and rubbery to gelatinous.
5. Flabby Crepidotus
Botanical Name – Crepidotus mollis
Flabby crepidotus mushroom has a semicircular cap that looks identical to the outer ear (pinna) when seen from a certain angle. Its cap is 2-6 cm across and brownish with white edges. However, for some, it may look like a fan and kidney in appearance.