Split gillSchizophyllum commune
common split gill · oreja de palo · siquinché · oreja café · xikin che’
Schizophyllum commune is an edible mushroom that grows on wood and has folds split lengthwise on its underside. In Mexico it is traditionally eaten and sold in markets in Tuxtepec, Oaxaca, and Teapa, Tabasco.[1][4][6]
Edible. Eat it cooked. Never eat a wild mushroom identified only from photos.
- Season in Mexico
- HabitatDecaying wood
- FamilySchizophyllaceae
How do you identify split gill?
- Cap
- Fan-shaped or shell-shaped, whitish, grayish or brownish. The surface is dry and finely hairy.[1]
- Size
- Cap 1–4 cm across.[1]
- Underside
- Widely spaced, whitish to grayish folds, split lengthwise.[2]
- Stem
- Absent or reduced to a narrow extension of the cap.[2]
- Ring and volva
- Veil absent; ring and volva absent.[2]
- Flesh
- Tough and whitish.[1]
- Spore print
- White.[2]
- Smell
- No distinctive odor.[1]
Can you eat split gill?
Edible, with traditional food uses in Mexico. Eat it only after a mycologist or experienced local mushroom expert confirms its identity. Cook it thoroughly and never eat it raw. Documented practice in the Lacandon rainforest includes boiling it before further preparation.[4][12]
Where and when does split gill grow?
It grows on dead hardwood branches and logs. It occasionally colonizes living wood.[1]
May through October in Antelá and Tziscao, Chiapas, during the rainy season. This calendar applies to those communities.[7]
These states have records or food uses documented in the Mexican sources consulted. The species has a worldwide distribution.[1][3][4]
