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''Auricularia auricula-judae'', known as the Jew's ear, wood ear, jelly ear or by a number of other common names, is a species of edible Auriculariales fungus found worldwide. The fruiting body is distinguished by its noticeably ear-like shape and brown colouration; it grows upon wood, especially elder. Its specific epithet is derived from the belief that Judas Iscariot hanged himself from an elder tree; the common name "Judas's ear" eventually became "Jew's ear", while today "jelly ear" and other names are sometimes used. The fungus can be found throughout the year in temperate regions worldwide, where it grows upon both dead and living wood. In the West, ''A. auricula-judae'' was used in folk medicine as recently as the 19th century for complaints including sore throats, sore eyes and jaundice, and as an astringent. Although it is not widely consumed in the West, it has long been popular in China, to the extent that Australia exported large volumes to China in the early twentieth century. Today, the fungus is a popular ingredient in many Chinese dishes, such as hot and sour soup, and also used in Chinese medicine. It is also used in Ghana, as a blood tonic. Modern research into possible medical applications have variously concluded that ''A. auricula-judae'' has antitumour, hypoglycemic, anticoagulant and cholesterol-lowering properties. ==Taxonomy and naming== The species was first mentioned in the scientific literature as ''Tremella auricula'' by Carl Linnaeus in his 1753 ''Species Plantarum'', and later (1789) described by Jean Baptiste François Pierre Bulliard as ''Tremella auricula-judae''.〔 However, the genus ''Tremella'' is now reserved for fungal species that live as parasites on other fungi.〔 ''Tremella auricula-judae'' is now considered a basionym.〔 In 1791, Bulliard transferred the species to the genus ''Peziza''. In 1822, Elias Magnus Fries transferred the species to ''Exidia'', and, in so doing, sanctioned the name. In 1860, Miles Joseph Berkeley described the species as a member of ''Hirneola'',〔 a genus described by Fries in 1848, now considered synonymous with ''Auricularia''.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title= ''Hirneola'' Fr. 1848 )〕〔(【引用サイトリンク】title= ''Hirneola'' Fr., ''K. svenska Vetensk-Akad. Handl.'': 144 (1848) )〕 The species was given the name ''Auricularia auricula-judae'' in 1888 by Joseph Schröter.〔 The specific name of ''A. auricula-judae'' comprises ''auricula'', the Latin word meaning ''ear'', and ''Judae'', meaning ''of Judas''.〔 Under binomial nomenclature, a species name can comprise only two words; but the taxonomists responsible for this naming hyphenated the specific name to "bend the rules" and keep the name "within the letter of the law".〔Harding 2008, p. 118〕 The name was criticised by mycologist Curtis Gates Lloyd, who said "Auricularia auricula-Judae is cumbersome and in addition is a slander on the Jews".〔 Though critical of Lucien Marcus Underwood, saying he "would probably not have known the Jew's ear from the calves' liver", he followed him in using ''Auricularia auricula'', which was in turn used by Bernard Lowy in an article on the entire genus.〔Lowy 1952, p. 660〕 Despite this, ''Auricularia auricula-judae'' is the currently recognised name for the species by many sources,〔〔(【引用サイトリンク】title= ''Auricularia auricula-judae'' (Bull.) Quél., ''Enchir. fung.'' (Paris): 207 (1886) )〕 though ''Auricularia auricula'' is still occasionally used. As well as the obligate synonyms from Bulliard, Fries and Berkeley, there are numerous other synonymous names.〔 Mycologist George Willard Martin, writing in 1943, noted that the species was known by at least 12 binomials, of which none appeared to be valid, and noted that "the citations given for the various names are extremely erratic".〔Martin 1943, p. 77〕 Mycologist Mary F. Barrett attributes "such multiplication of names" to "the wide distribution of the Judas' ear, its ability to grow upon many different kinds of decaying wood, and to its great variation in size, colour and shape".〔 The fungus is associated with Judas Iscariot because of the belief that he hanged himself on an elder tree after his betrayal of Jesus Christ.〔 Folklore suggests that the ears are Judas's returned spirit, and are all that are left to remind us of his suicide.〔 The common name of the fungus was originally Judas's ear, but this was later shortened to Judas ear and, in the late 19th century, shortened again to Jew's ear.〔Harding 2008, p. 120〕 Common names for the fungus which refer to Judas can be traced back to at least the end of the 16th century;〔Barrett 1910, p. 13〕 for instance, in the 17th century, Thomas Browne wrote of the species:
While the term Jew's meat was a deprecatory term used for all fungi in the Middle Ages, the term is unrelated to the name Jew's ear.〔 A further change of name to jelly ear was recommended in the ''List of Recommended Names for Fungi''. The idea was rejected by mycologist Patrick Harding who considered it "to be the result of political correctness where it is not necessary", and who "will continue to call (species ) Jew's ear", explaining that, while anti-Semitism was commonplace in Britain, the name Jew's ear is in reference to Judas, who was a Jew.〔 However, the name has been adopted in some recent field guides. Unrelated common names include the ear fungus, common ear fungus,〔Boa 2004, p. 21〕 the Chinese Fungus,〔 the pig's ear,〔Young and Smith 2005, p. 56〕 the wood ear, the black wood ear, the tree ear and Kikurage. The species was known as "fungus sambuca" among herbalists, in reference to ''Sambuca'', the generic name for elder.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Auricularia auricula-judae」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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