It singly or clustered grows in the dense forests of temperate zone or cold temperate zone where are c o vered with Yunnan pine, Huashan pine, oak, azalea, etc. and the elevation is between 1600 and 3200 meters. The general growth time is between June and December, particularly in July, August and September.
Matsutake has high reputation in Japan and South Korea, it has always been admitted as treasure in the edible mushroom family, and been called as “King of Mushroom”. It has strong fragrance, stout body, delicate flesh, special flavor, as well as high nutritional value and special medical effect. In ancient Japan, Matsutake was one of the treasures which presented to the emperor and the noble by people. There exists a statement: “Herring eggs in ocean, Matsutake on land.” According to the analysis, fresh Matsutake contains 89.9% moisture content, 17% coarse protein, 8.7% pure protein, 5.8% coarse fat, 61.5% soluble non-nitrogen compound, 8.6% coarse fiber, 7.1% ash content, plus with rich Vitamin B1, vitamin B2,vitamin C and vitamin PP. According to the prior documents, it has function of strengthening body, benefiting digestion organs, relieving pain, regulating flow as well as reducing, dispelling parasites, etc. It is said from present research, Matsutake also has some special effects like curing diabetes and anti-cancer.