# Pleurotaceae
**Pleurotaceae** is a family of gilled mushrooms in the order [Agaricales](https://www.edgepedia.org/agaricales) ([Basidiomycota](https://www.edgepedia.org/basidiomycota)) whose best-known member is the oyster mushroom genus *Pleurotus*; the family is currently restricted to the genera *Pleurotus* and *Hohenbuehelia*[1](https://scholars.duke.edu/publication/803940). It was circumscribed by the French mycologist Robert Kühner in 1980, and the name Pleurotaceae Kühner, 1980 is the form used in major taxonomic databases[2](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Taxonomy/Browser/wwwtax.cgi?id=104366&mode=Info).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Rank and authority | Family Pleurotaceae Kühner, 1980, in the order Agaricales, class Agaricomycetes[2](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Taxonomy/Browser/wwwtax.cgi?id=104366&mode=Info) |
| Included genera | Restricted to *Pleurotus* and *Hohenbuehelia*; a 2024 reorganization places *Resupinatus* in a separate family, Resupinataceae[1](https://scholars.duke.edu/publication/803940) • [3](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11003440/) |
| Family size | In 2008 the family comprised 6 genera and 94 species, although earlier studies listed 30 to 40 species[4](https://iris.cnr.it/bitstream/20.500.14243/579706/1/Shedding%20light%20on%20Pleurotus_%20An%20update%20on%20taxonomy%2C%20properties%2C.pdf) |
| Ecological role | White-rot wood decay driven by lignin-modifying enzymes including laccase and versatile peroxidases[5](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7832515/) |
| Predatory habit | Nematode trapping by toxin droplets in *Pleurotus* and adhesive knobs in *Hohenbuehelia*[6](https://iris.cnr.it/retrieve/2accef0d-4e7e-4942-8b06-6bb9a7f0b545/s3.pdf) |
| Economic weight | *Pleurotus* production accounts for around 25% of total cultivated mushrooms globally, the second most cultivated genus after *Agaricus*[5](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7832515/) • [4](https://iris.cnr.it/bitstream/20.500.14243/579706/1/Shedding%20light%20on%20Pleurotus_%20An%20update%20on%20taxonomy%2C%20properties%2C.pdf) |
| Nutrition | Protein up to 40% of dry weight, rich in essential amino acids, with low fat[4](https://iris.cnr.it/bitstream/20.500.14243/579706/1/Shedding%20light%20on%20Pleurotus_%20An%20update%20on%20taxonomy%2C%20properties%2C.pdf) |
## Circumscription and classification
The family sits in the suborder Pleurotineae of the Agaricales, within the class Agaricomycetes[2](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Taxonomy/Browser/wwwtax.cgi?id=104366&mode=Info). Its modern limits come from molecular work: phylogenetic analyses and the distribution of nematophagy support a monophyletic Pleurotaceae, distinct from the [Polyporaceae](https://www.edgepedia.org/polyporaceae), and restrict the family to *Pleurotus* and *Hohenbuehelia*[1](https://scholars.duke.edu/publication/803940). Earlier, Singer (1951) had placed *Pleurotus* in the Polyporaceae[7](https://krishikosh.egranth.ac.in/server/api/core/bitstreams/b0ff0020-7a2e-4641-bbff-1169c7624227/content).
Family boundaries have shifted repeatedly. The first phylogenomic study focused on Agaricales (Dentinger et al. 2016) found a close relationship between *Pleurotus ostreatus* and *Pterula multifida* and coined the suborder Pleurotineae for them; Olariaga et al. (2020) then broadened Pleurotineae to include Phyllotopsidaceae, Radulomycetaceae, Stephanosporaceae, Sarcomyxaceae, and Typhulaceae, but that expanded suborder lacked strong statistical support[8](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11133883/). A 2024 phylogenomic study using 555 single-copy orthologs delimited Pleurotineae to include only Pleurotaceae, and recognized two distinct families within the old pleurotoid grouping: Pleurotaceae (*Pleurotus* and *Hohenbuehelia*) and Resupinataceae (*Resupinatus*), citing differences in habit, pileipellis structure, and nematophagy[8](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11133883/) • [3](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11003440/).
## The genus Pleurotus
*Pleurotus* was described by Paul Kummer in 1871, with *P. ostreatus* and *P. dryinus* as the first species; most historical taxa (431) were described between 1871 and 1930[4](https://iris.cnr.it/bitstream/20.500.14243/579706/1/Shedding%20light%20on%20Pleurotus_%20An%20update%20on%20taxonomy%2C%20properties%2C.pdf). The genus comprises roughly 30 species and subspecific taxa of edible mushrooms with a worldwide distribution[9](https://www.eurekaselect.com/chapter/5867), and about 40 species by other counts[5](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7832515/). Hilber (1982) divided it into subgenera: *Pleurotus* (including *P. eryngii*, *P. ostreatus*, and *P. pulmonarius*), *Coremiopleurotus* (species with coremia on the lamellae, such as *P. cystidiosus*), *Lentodiopsis* (including *P. rickii* and *P. dryinus*), and later *Tuberregium* (including *P. tuberregium*, which forms sclerotia)[4](https://iris.cnr.it/bitstream/20.500.14243/579706/1/Shedding%20light%20on%20Pleurotus_%20An%20update%20on%20taxonomy%2C%20properties%2C.pdf).
[Species delimitation](https://www.edgepedia.org/species-delimitation) in the genus is difficult because of phenotypic plasticity and morphological stasis; molecular methods such as ITS barcoding, RAPD, AFLP, and RFLP are now widely used to validate species[10](https://www.biotaxa.org/Phytotaxa/article/view/phytotaxa.267.2.6) • [5](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7832515/). Within the subgenus *Coremiopleurotus*, ITS and rDNA sequencing revealed five major clades aligned with biogeographic units: *P. australis* (New Zealand and Australia), *P. abalonus* (Asia-Pacific), *P. fuscosquamulosus* (Africa and Europe), *P. smithii* (Mexico), and *P. cystidiosus* sensu stricto (North America)[4](https://iris.cnr.it/bitstream/20.500.14243/579706/1/Shedding%20light%20on%20Pleurotus_%20An%20update%20on%20taxonomy%2C%20properties%2C.pdf).
## Ecology and evolution
*Pleurotus* species are predominantly found in tropical forests, growing on fallen branches, dead and decaying stumps, and wet logs[5](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7832515/). They are among the conspicuous wood-decay fungi of terrestrial ecosystems because of their lignin-modifying enzymes, which produce a white rot[5](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7832515/). Both *Pleurotus* and *Hohenbuehelia* are nematophagous, trapping nematodes by toxin droplets and adhesive knobs respectively[6](https://iris.cnr.it/retrieve/2accef0d-4e7e-4942-8b06-6bb9a7f0b545/s3.pdf).
## Cultivation and use
*Pleurotus* mushrooms are cultivated worldwide on lignocellulosic wastes; 26 species, including *P. eryngii*, *P. citrinopileatus*, *P. flabellatus*, *P. ostreatus*, *P. djamor* var. *roseus*, and *P. florida*, have been reported in cultivation[5](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7832515/). Cultivation converts agro-wastes such as rice straw, wheat straw, cotton waste, and sawdust into food, with spent substrate reused as fertilizer, animal feed, and biogas feedstock[5](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7832515/). The mushrooms tolerate high CO₂ levels and a wide temperature range, and spawn run typically takes 12 to 26 days at 24 ± 1 °C[5](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7832515/).
Nutritionally, *Pleurotus* provides protein of up to 40% of dry weight with high biological value, low fat, dietary fiber, β-glucans, vitamins, and minerals such as potassium, iron, copper, zinc, and manganese[4](https://iris.cnr.it/bitstream/20.500.14243/579706/1/Shedding%20light%20on%20Pleurotus_%20An%20update%20on%20taxonomy%2C%20properties%2C.pdf). Production is concentrated in the Asia-Pacific region, and total Asian production of *Pleurotus* was about 825,600 tons in 2010[4](https://iris.cnr.it/bitstream/20.500.14243/579706/1/Shedding%20light%20on%20Pleurotus_%20An%20update%20on%20taxonomy%2C%20properties%2C.pdf) • [5](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7832515/).
## References
1. [Phylogenetic analyses and the distribution of nematophagy support a monophyletic Pleurotaceae within the polyphyletic pleurotoid-lentinoid fungi, Scholars@Duke](https://scholars.duke.edu/publication/803940)
2. [NCBI Taxonomy Browser: Pleurotaceae Kuhner, 1980 (Taxonomy ID 104366)](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Taxonomy/Browser/wwwtax.cgi?id=104366&mode=Info)
3. [Family matters inside the order Agaricales: systematic reorganization and classification of incertae sedis clitocyboid, pleurotoid and tricholomatoid taxa based on an updated 6-gene phylogeny, PMC](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11003440/)
4. [Villani et al., Shedding light on Pleurotus: An update on taxonomy, properties, and photobiology, Microbiological Research 295 (2025)](https://iris.cnr.it/bitstream/20.500.14243/579706/1/Shedding%20light%20on%20Pleurotus_%20An%20update%20on%20taxonomy%2C%20properties%2C.pdf)
5. [Raman et al., Cultivation and Nutritional Value of Prominent Pleurotus spp.: An Overview, Mycobiology 2021, PMC](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7832515/)
6. [Family matters inside the order Agaricales (PDF), CNR IRIS](https://iris.cnr.it/retrieve/2accef0d-4e7e-4942-8b06-6bb9a7f0b545/s3.pdf)
7. [Thesis on Pleurotus taxonomy, Krishikosh (egranth)](https://krishikosh.egranth.ac.in/server/api/core/bitstreams/b0ff0020-7a2e-4641-bbff-1169c7624227/content)
8. [Phylogenetic and taxonomic updates of Agaricales, with an emphasis on Tricholomopsis, PMC](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11133883/)
9. [The Genus Pleurotus (Fr.) P. Kumm. (Pleurotaceae) in Europe, Bentham Science](https://www.eurekaselect.com/chapter/5867)
10. [Pleurotus placentodes, originally described from Sikkim, rediscovered after 164 years, Phytotaxa 267 (2016)](https://www.biotaxa.org/Phytotaxa/article/view/phytotaxa.267.2.6)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Life and health › Microorganisms and fungi › Fungi and mycology › Basidiomycete taxa › Agaricomycetes › Agaricales › Pleurotoid and pluteoid Agaricales › Pleurotaceae*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 11, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license