The shiitake (alternate form shitake) (; Japanese: [ɕiꜜːtake] (listen) Lentinula edodes) is an edible mushroom native to East Asia, which is cultivated and consumed around the globe. It is considered a medicinal mushroom in some forms of traditional medicine. Taxonomy The fungus was first described scientifically as Agaricus edodes by Miles Joseph Berkeley in 1877. It was placed in the genus Lentinula by David Pegler in 1976. The fungus has acquired an extensive synonymy in its taxonomic history: Agaricus edodes Berk. (1878) Armillaria edodes (Berk.) Sacc. (1887) Mastoleucomychelloes edodes (Berk.) Kuntze (1891) Cortinellus edodes (Berk.) S.Ito & S.Imai (1938) Lentinus edodes (Berk.) Singer...