Abstract / Summary
Sparassis species, commonly known as cauliflower mushrooms, are precious wood-rotting edible and medicinal fungi with high nutritional value and diverse bioactivities. Among them, Sparassis latifolia is the dominant artificially cultivated species in China, while Sparassis crispa is widely distributed in Europe and North America. This review systematically elaborates the basic biological characteristics of Sparassis spp., domestication history, key cultivation technologies, phased development of the industrial chain, and current production status of S. latifolia in China. Meanwhile, major bottlenecks restricting industrial development, such as long cultivation cycle, strain degeneration, imperfect standard system and insufficient high-value processing capacity, are analyzed. Finally, targeted prospects for basic research, variety improvement, technological innovation and industrial upgrading are proposed. This work aims to provide a comprehensive reference for both fundamental research and sustainable industrial development of S. latifolia and related Sparassis species worldwide.