Panus Conchatus, the Lilac Oysterling

Lilac Oysterling is such a whimsical name that finding out it’s attached to a rather ordinary mushroom is oddly disappointing. Even for an ordinary mushroom, the Lilac Oysterling, or Panus Conchatus, isn’t without its interesting side. 

Fitting to its name, the Lilac Oysterling starts off a light purple color, which morphs into more of a light brown as it grows. Close growing gills start out either purple or white, but also become brown as the Panus Conchatus ages.  

Just as you’d expect from something as innocent-sounding as the Lilac Oysterling, it is not known to be poisonous. Even so, it’s not considered edible either, due to it’s tough and leathery composition. 

Growing in clusters on dead hardwood, the Panus Conchatus helps in the decomposition process, earning its classification as a saprobic white-rot fungus. Even amongst its own kind, though, the Lilac Oysterling stands out. See, most white-rot fungi produce laccase, which breaks down the structural supports of the cells in wood, decreasing its rigidity and leaching it’s color out. Usually, this laccase contains four copper molecules, referred to as blue copper phenol oxidases, that are responsible for it leaving a blue tint in the wood it’s decomposing. Panus Conchatus, however, has a white laccase and leaves white wood in its wake. Due to this, Panus Conchatus has been experimentally used for pulp bleaching and wastewater decolorization. The research is ongoing, with environmental concerns around chlorine bleach being used, scientists are hoping that the Lilac Oysterling will hold their solution. 

So, we have a purple fungus that breaks down wood, and the same attribute that enables the decomposition could potentially be used to bleach wood pulp. Maybe the fanciful name isn’t too undeserving, after all.