Zhu Ling

Polyporus umbellatus is a wood-decay fungus in the Polyporaceae, distributed across temperate forests of East Asia, Europe and North America, where it grows on or near the buried roots of broadleaved trees, especially oak, beech, maple and birch. Above ground it produces a striking compound fruiting body composed of dozens to hundreds of small, centrally stalked, pale tan to greyish-brown caps, each 1-4 cm across, arising from a common branched stem-base to form an umbrella-like cluster up to 50 cm wide. The flesh is white, fibrous and pleasantly fragrant when fresh. Spores are released through the white, decurrent pores on the cap undersides. The clusters arise from a hard, blackish, tuber-like underground sclerotium that can persist in the soil for years between fruitings. It is the sclerotium that is harvested, sliced and dried for use in traditional Chinese medicine under the name Zhu Ling.