Polyporus

Polyporus(Polyporus umbellatus, Grifola umbellatus, Zhu Ling, Chorosis nut) is a wood-boring fungus that can be found on the bases of healthy deciduous trees, but also on injured or dead trees and stumps. It most commonly attacks oak, hornbeam and beech trees. The Polypore fruiting body grows from the cane, which branches off from the tree and branches into other "little fungus legs". These then have small, regular caps that are squeezed inwards, forming a sort of cluster. This can make the whole fruiting body more than 50 cm in diameter. Polyporus grows in temperate regions, i.e. North America, Europe and Asia. It can also be found in our country, especially in the Polabí region, southern Bohemia, Moravia, etc. The demand for the mushroom is high, so it is also grown commercially. Polyporus was scientifically documented in 1801, when Ch. H. Persoon named it Bolletus umbellatus. It was not until 1821 that Polyporus was placed in the genus Polyporus by the Swedish mycologist E. M. Fries. However, Polyporus was known long before that. Especially in Asia, where it has been mentioned as early as 2500 years ago. At that time it was also used in medicine, which is also described in writings dating back to the Han Dynasty and in "herbaria" (ShenNongBenCaoJing, ZhongHuaBenCao, BenCao Gang Mu).