Background:

Almost all world-famous species of edible mycorrhizal mushrooms (EMMs), or closely related species, grow naturally in China. However, China has some outstanding edible mushrooms due to their rare distribution in the rest of the world and because of their great economic importance.

Objective:

To review the state of the art in China of one of the EEMs with greatest importance worldwide: Tricholoma matsutake.

Results and conclusion:

The matsutake is a complex of species closely related which are distributed world-wide and have traditionally been highly demanded in Japan. The growth of matsutake basidiomata starts from a mixture of soil with mycelium and ectomycorrhizas called “shiro”. The shiro development is closely correlated with the age of the host plants. In Pinus densiflora usually begins when the trees are 10-20 years old. The basidiomata begin to be produced three to four years after the shiro is formed. The harvesting and trading of this species, represents an important source of livelihood for Chinese local farmers, especially in rural mountainous regions where the net income is relatively low. Currently, there are different initiatives to protect and cultivate the matsutake mushroom.