Hypsizygus tessellatus - Buena Shimeji Genetics

Scientific Name: Hypsizygus tessulatus

Common Names: Beech Mushroom, Yamabiko Hon-shimeji, Tamo-motashi

Description:  A delicious gilled mushroom with a medium-small tan colored cap which features delicate stained glass/watermark patterns.  Has a crunchy texture and mild nutty flavor.  An interesting characteristic of the species is that the mycelium grows quickly at a relatively high temperature, while mushrooms form only after an exposure to cold temperatures.  This mushroom is a good choice to grow on wood substrates in the greenhouse in the winter or outdoors in the spring/fall.  It can be grown outdoors on woodchip beds, logs or stumps, but care must be taken in its identification.

Growth Conditions

Petri Dish, Slant, or Liquid Culture
Growth Medium: Malt extract or potato water agar
Temperature: 27 deg C

Spawn Run
Growth Medium:  supplemented hardwood sawdust
Temperature: 27 deg C
Bag Filter Type: "A"

Primordia Formation
Temperature:  8-14 deg C
Humidity: 95-100 %
Time (days): 1-2 weeks
Light (Lux): 400-600 lux

Fruit-body Growth
Temperature:  13-18 deg C
Humidity: 80-95 %
Time: 1-2 weeks

Light: 400-600 lux

Harvest Hint:  Leave the bag closed until primordia begin to form, unless you can provide a foggy 100 % humidity environment.  At this point open the bag from the top and leave 3-4 inches of bag wall height to allow humidity and CO2 to pool in the bag and encourage stem elongation.  A casing layer (link to recipe) can also help primordia formation in this species.  The ideal time to harvest is while the caps are still highly convex but the margin has separated from the stipe.  This mushroom follows the growth pattern of enoki:  High CO2 from high bag walls will result in taller mushrooms, and low light will result in tiny caps - the form preferred in high-end Japanese restaurants.