The mushroom "Pale Oyster Mushroom" is a fairly large fungus. The cap is 5-15 (30) cm in diameter, fleshy, solid, round, with a thin edge; shape is ear-shaped, shell-like, or nearly round. In young mushrooms, the cap is convex with curled edge, later flat or wide-bowl-shaped with wavy or lobed edge. The cap surface is smooth, glossy, often wavy. When growing in moist conditions, the mushroom cap is often covered with mycelial bloom. The cap color varies from dark gray or brownish in young specimens to ash-gray with purple tint in mature ones, fading over time to pale, grayish, or yellowish.
The stem is short (sometimes practically invisible), firm, solid, eccentric or lateral, cylindrical, narrowed at the base, often curved, 2-5 cm long and 0.8-3 cm thick. The stem surface is white, smooth; at the base it is brownish and slightly woolly. In older mushrooms, the stem becomes very stiff.
The gills are of medium to sparse frequency, 3-15 mm wide, thin, descending along the stem, near the stem with anastomoses (connections); in young specimens they are whitish, turning yellow or grayish with age. The spore powder is white or pinkish. Spores 8-13 × 3-4 μm, smooth, cylindrical, elongated-oval, colorless.
The flesh is white, firm, soft and juicy in young mushrooms, later stiff and fibrous (especially in the stem), odorless. Taste is described as pleasant, with an anise flavor, due to the presence of benzaldehyde.
Cultivation on wood: freshly cut logs are cut into 30-40 cm long, 15-25 cm diameter pieces. Holes of 2 cm diameter and 4-5 cm depth are drilled in a checkerboard pattern. Sterile gloves are worn, mycelium is placed in the holes, and covered with bark, sawdust, or moss. Watered by drip method. After 2-3 months, each log is buried in the soil to a depth of 10-15 cm.
Cultivation on nutrient substrate: straw or sunflower husks are poured with boiling water and left for 7-8 hours, then water is drained. Before sowing, the substrate moisture should be 70%, temperature 20°C. After cooling, the substrate is mixed with mycelium and placed in a transparent bag. Germination lasts 15-18 days at 14-28°C. Where fruiting bodies begin to appear, carefully make cuts in the film. Fruiting occurs in waves every 5-7 days.
