Fungus · GBIF taxon 9075265

King Oyster Mushroom

Pleurotus eryngii

Also known as King Trumpet Mushroom, French Horn Mushroom, Trumpet Royale, Steppe Fan

King trumpet mushrooms grow as weak parasites or saprotrophs on the roots of herbaceous plants in the carrot family, particularly sea hollies. Unlike many other oyster species, they produce a thick, solid stem topped with a relatively small, pale brown cap that remains firm throughout maturity. Found in open pastures, grasslands, and coastal dunes across southern Europe, North Africa, and Central Asia, they play an active role in recycling organic matter in arid soils.

SaprotrophicMediterraneanFungus

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—observations

—countries

—peak records

Least ConcernConservation status

Key facts

Diet & prey

Decaying plant roots
Soil organic matter

Predators

Fungus Gnats
Slugs
Rodents

ThreatsHabitat degradation, agricultural intensification, overcollecting

HabitatsGrasslands, pastures, scrublands, coastal dunes

Life spanFruit bodies last 1–3 weeks; mycelium lives multi-year

Classification

FamilyPleurotaceae
SpeciesPleurotus eryngii

Range & activity

Range data is not available yet.

Safe observation

Interaction riskLow

Low
Moderate
High
Very high

Why interaction risk is low: Many wild mushrooms have toxic look-alikes; never eat wild fungi based on app identification alone.

Responsible observation

Substrate check: Look around the base of sea holly and other carrot family plants in sunny pastures.
Spore printing: Take a spore print on dark paper to reveal white to pale cream spores.
Respect habitat: Avoid disturbing the subterranean root systems of host plants when observing.

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