Lentinula, a genus of at least six species of wood-dwelling fungi, best known for the edible and medicinal shiitake mushroom, Lentinula edodes (formerly Lentinus edodes). Found primarily in the tropical and subtropical regions of North and South America, Asia, and Australia, Lentinula fungi feed saprotrophically on the deadwood of broad-leaved trees, especially oaks and various other trees in the order Fagales. The fruiting bodies of these fungi are generally light-colored to reddish brown or black, with a convex to flat pileus (cap) supported by a fibrous stipe (stalk). The pileus can be 2–25 cm (0.8–10 inches) in diameter, depending on the species, and features white gills on the underside. Lentinula species characteristically produce white spores.