Auricularia cornea was originally described from Hawaii (Oahu) by German naturalist Christian Gottfried Ehrenberg in 1820.

[3] That species was originally described from the Eastern Ghats in India by French mycologist Camille Montagne in 1834, and is now considered as a synonym of A.

The species is widely distributed in southern Asia, Africa, Australasia and the Pacific, and South America.

[citation needed] While almost tasteless, it is prized for its slippery but slightly crunchy texture, and its potential nutritional benefits.

[12] Māori traditionally cooked wood ear fungus by steaming in an earth oven and eating with sow thistle and potatoes.

[3][14] According to Chinese medicine practitioners, eating dried and cooked wood ear can have health benefits for people with high blood pressure or cancer, and can prevent coronary heart disease and arteriosclerosis.