Chlorociboria aeruginascens

Last updated

Chlorociboria aeruginascens
Chlorociboria aeruginascens-336907.jpg
The green elfcup, Chlorociboria aeruginascens.
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Ascomycota
Class: Leotiomycetes
Order: Helotiales
Family: Chlorociboriaceae
Genus: Chlorociboria
Species:
C. aeruginascens
Binomial name
Chlorociboria aeruginascens
Kanouse ex C.S. Ramamurthi, Korf & L.R. Batra (1957)
Synonyms

Chlorociboria aeruginascens
(Nyl.) Kanouse
Chlorosplenium aeruginascens
(Nyl.) P. Karst.
Peziza aeruginascens
Nyl.

Contents

Chlorociboria aeruginascens is a saprobic species of mushroom, commonly known as the blue stain, [1] green elfcup [2] or the green wood cup [3] because of its characteristic small, green, saucer-shaped fruit bodies. Although the actual fruit bodies are infrequently seen, the green staining of wood caused by the fungus is more prevalent.

Taxonomy

The specific epithet is derived from the Latin roots aerug- ("blue-green") and ascens ("becoming"). [4] Some authors have used a variant spelling of the specific epithet, aeruginescens. [5] [6] [7]

Description

Green-stained wood suggestive of C. aeruginascens mycelium being present in the wood. Chlorociboria aeruginascens stained.jpg
Green-stained wood suggestive of C. aeruginascens mycelium being present in the wood.
C. aeruginascens spores Chlorociboria aeruginascens 1M.jpg
C. aeruginascens spores

This species has apothecia (cup-shaped ascocarps) that are usually attached laterally, often less than 0.5 centimetres (14 in) in diameter, collapsing laterally and becoming rolled inwards when dry. The outer tissue layer of the apothecium, known as the ectal excipulum, has a delicate tomentose surface composed of hair-like, straight or sometimes coiled, smooth hyphae. The stipe is typically less than 3 mm long, with a central or eccentric attachment to the apothecia. Spores are roughly spindle-shaped (fusiform), smooth, and 5–8 by 0.7–2.8  μm. [8] The spore print is white. [9] Apothecia grow on bark-free wood, especially oak, part of which at least is stained greenish by the mycelium. The abundant paraphyses, which may be entwined, are 55–95 by 1.5–2 μm, filiform, and septate with an unswollen, unbent apex that often extends beyond the level of the asci tips. [10]

Similar species

The species is distinguished from the closely related Chlorociboria aeruginosa by having smaller spores. Although some authors have in the past failed to recognize any appreciable differences between the two species, [5] [6] [11] Ramamurthi and colleagues note [8] that not only are the spore sizes different, but C. aeruginascens have smooth tomentum hyphae, in contrast with the roughened hyphae of C. aeruginosa. C. aeruginascens is inedible. [12]

"Green oak"

Chlorociboria aeruginascens
Information icon.svg
Smooth icon.pngSmooth hymenium
No cap icon.svgNo distinct cap
NA cap icon.svg Hymenium attachment is irregular or not applicable
Bare stipe icon.svg Stipe is bare
Saprotrophic fungus.svgEcology is saprotrophic
Cheb relief intarsia with green wood Cheb relief intarsia - Allegories of months 3.jpg
Cheb relief intarsia with green wood
Microscopic images of a veneer of spalted poplar (Populus nigra) used in a tall case clock in the mid 1700s. (a) Tangential plane of veneer poplar showing mycelium expanding in ray cells (arrows), (b) Radial plane shows higher concentration of xylindein in rays than in fibers and vessels (arrows). Chlorociboria-wood-Coatings-07-00188-g001.png
Microscopic images of a veneer of spalted poplar (Populus nigra) used in a tall case clock in the mid 1700s. (a) Tangential plane of veneer poplar showing mycelium expanding in ray cells (arrows), (b) Radial plane shows higher concentration of xylindein in rays than in fibers and vessels (arrows).

This species contains a quinone pigment called xylindein, [13] [14] a dimeric naphthoquinone derivative, whose structure was determined by spectroscopic means in the 1960s [15] and later confirmed by X-ray crystallography. [16] It is this compound that is responsible for the characteristic bluish-green stain of wood infected by this species, used today in decorative woodworking such as Tunbridge ware [17] and parquetry. [18] The use of this wood, known as "green oak", goes back to 15th-century Italy, where it was used in intarsia panels made by Fra Giovanni da Veroni. [19]

Related Research Articles

<i>Chlorociboria</i> Genus of fungi

Chlorociboria is the type genus of in the fungal family Chlorociboriaceae within order Helotiales. The genus includes 23 species.

<i>Chlorociboria aeruginosa</i> Species of fungus

Chlorociboria aeruginosa is a saprobic species of mushroom, commonly known as the green elfcup or the green wood cup because of its characteristic small, green, saucer-shaped fruit bodies. Although the actual fruit bodies are infrequently seen, the green staining of wood caused by the fungus is more prevalent.

<i>Spathularia flavida</i> Species of fungus

Spathularia flavida, commonly known as the yellow earth tongue, the yellow fan, or the fairy fan, is an ascomycete fungus found in coniferous forests of Asia, Europe and North America. It produces a small, fan- or spoon-shaped fruit body with a flat, wavy or lobed cream to yellow colored "head" raised on a white to cream stalk. The height is usually approximately 2–5 cm, and up to 8 cm. The fungus fruits on the ground in mosses, forest duff or humus, and fruit bodies may occur singly, in large groups, or in fairy rings. The spores produced by the fungus are needle-like, and up to 95 μm long. Several varieties have been described that differ largely in their microscopic characteristics. S. flavida has been described by authorities variously as inedible, of unknown edibility, or edible but tough.

<i>Paragyromitra infula</i> Species of fungus

Paragyromitra infula, commonly known as the hooded false morel or the elfin saddle, is a species of fungus in the family Discinaceae. The dark reddish-brown caps of the fruit bodies develop a characteristic saddle-shape in maturity, and the ends of both saddle lobes are drawn out to sharp tips that project above the level of the fruit body. The stipe is white or flushed pale brown, smooth on the outside, but hollow with some chambers inside.

<i>Peziza violacea</i> Species of fungus

Peziza violacea, commonly known as the violet fairy cup or the violet cup fungus, is a species of fungus in the genus Peziza of the family Pezizaceae. As both it common names and specific epithet suggest, the cup-shaped fruiting bodies are violet colored on the interior surface. P. violacea is typically found growing on burnt soil.

<i>Bisporella citrina</i> Species of fungus

Bisporella citrina, commonly known as yellow fairy cups or lemon discos, is a species of fungus in the family Helotiaceae. The fungus produces tiny yellow cups up to 3 mm in diameter, often without stalks, that fruit in groups or dense clusters on decaying deciduous wood that has lost its bark. The widely distributed species is found in North Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, and Central and South America. Found in late summer and autumn, the fungus is fairly common, but is easily overlooked owing to its small size. There are several similar species that can in most cases be distinguished by differences in color, morphology, or substrate. Microscopically, B. citrina can be distinguished from these lookalikes by its elliptical spores, which have a central partition, and an oil drop at each end.

<i>Agaricus albolutescens</i> Species of fungus

Agaricus albolutescens, commonly known as the amber-staining agaricus, is a moderate-sized, stocky-statured mushroom with a pleasant odor; it bruises slowly but persistently yellow.

<i>Xerocomellus zelleri</i> Species of fungus

Xerocomellus zelleri, commonly known as Zeller's bolete, is an edible species of mushroom in the family Boletaceae. First described scientifically by American mycologist William Alphonso Murrill in 1912, the species has been juggled by various authors to several genera, including Boletus, Boletellus, and Xerocomus. Found solely in western North America from British Columbia south to Mexico, the fruit bodies are distinguished by their dark reddish brown to nearly black caps with uneven surfaces, the yellow pores on the underside of the caps, and the red-streaked yellow stems. The fungus grows in summer and autumn on the ground, often in Douglas fir forests or on their margins. The development of the fruit bodies is gymnocarpic, meaning that the hymenium appears and develops to maturity in an exposed state, not enclosed by any protective membrane.

<i>Pseudoplectania nigrella</i> Species of fungus

Pseudoplectania nigrella, commonly known as the ebony cup, the black false plectania, or the hairy black cup, is a species of fungus in the family Sarcosomataceae. The fruit bodies of this saprobic fungus are small blackish cups, typically up to 2 cm broad.

<i>Disciotis venosa</i> Species of fungus

Disciotis venosa, commonly known as the bleach cup, veiny cup fungus, or the cup morel is a species of fungus in the family Morchellaceae. Fruiting from April, they are often difficult to locate because of their nondescript brown color.

<i>Plectania nannfeldtii</i> Species of fungus

Plectania nannfeldtii, commonly known as Nannfeldt's Plectania, the black felt cup, or the black snowbank cup fungus, is a species of fungus in the family Sarcosomataceae. The fruit bodies of this species resemble small, black, goblet-shaped shallow cups up to 3 cm wide, with stems up to 4 cm long attached to black mycelia. Fruit bodies, which may appear alone or in groups on the ground in conifer duff, are usually attached to buried woody debris, and are commonly associated with melting snow. Plectania nannfeldtii is found in western North America and in Asia, often at higher elevations. Similar black cup fungi with which P. nannfeldtii may be confused include Pseudoplectania vogesiaca, P. nigrella, and Helvella corium.

<i>Pholiota flammans</i> Species of fungus

Pholiota flammans, commonly known as the yellow pholiota, the flaming Pholiota, or the flame scalecap, is a basidiomycete agaric mushroom of the genus Pholiota. Its fruit body is golden-yellow in color throughout, while its cap and stem are covered in sharp scales. As it is a saprobic fungus, the fruit bodies typically appear in clusters on the stumps of dead coniferous trees. P. flammans is distributed throughout Europe, North America, and Asia in boreal and temperate regions. Its edibility has not been clarified.

<i>Tricholoma saponaceum</i> Species of fungus

Tricholoma saponaceum, also known as the soap-scented toadstool, soapy tricholoma, soapy knight or soap tricholoma is an inedible mushroom found in woodlands in Europe and North America.

<i>Lactarius alnicola</i> Species of fungus

Lactarius alnicola, commonly known as the golden milkcap, is a species of fungus in the family Russulaceae. The fruit bodies produced by the fungus are characterized by a sticky, vanilla-colored cap up to 20 cm (7.9 in) wide with a mixture of yellow tones arranged in faint concentric bands. The stem is up to 5 cm (2.0 in) long and has yellow-brown spots. When it is cut or injured, the mushroom oozes a white latex, which has an intensely peppery taste. The acrid taste of the fruit bodies renders them unpalatable. The fungus is found in the western United States and Mexico, where it grows in mycorrhizal associations with various coniferous trees species, such as spruce, pine and fir, and deciduous species such as oak and alder. It has also been collected in India. Two varieties have been named: var. pitkinensis, known from Colorado, and var. pungens, from Michigan.

<i>Lactarius fallax</i> Species of fungus

Lactarius fallax, commonly known as the velvety milk cap, is a species of fungus in the family Russulaceae. Found in both spruce and mixed conifer forests, it is a fairly common species in the Pacific Northwest region of North America, with a northerly range extending to Alaska. Its fruit bodies are medium-sized, with velvety, brown to blackish caps up to 3–9 cm (1.2–3.5 in) in diameter bearing a distinct pointed umbo. The caps are supported by velvety stems up to 6 cm (2.4 in) long and 1.5 cm (0.6 in) thick. The mushroom oozes a whitish latex when it is cut, and injured tissue eventually turns a dull reddish color. The eastern North American and European species Lactarius lignyotus is closely similar in appearance, but can be distinguished by its differing range.

<i>Lactarius vinaceorufescens</i> Species of fungus

Lactarius vinaceorufescens, commonly known as the yellow-staining milkcap or the yellow-latex milky, is a poisonous species of fungus in the family Russulaceae. It produces mushrooms with pinkish-cinnamon caps up to 12 cm (4.7 in) wide held by pinkish-white stems up to 7 cm (2.8 in) long. The closely spaced whitish to pinkish buff gills develop wine-red spots in age. When it is cut or injured, the mushroom oozes a white latex that rapidly turns bright sulfur-yellow. The species, common and widely distributed in North America, grows in the ground in association with conifer trees. There are several other Lactarius species that bear resemblance to L. vinaceorufescens, but most can be distinguished by differences in staining reactions, macroscopic characteristics, or habitat.

<i>Hericium abietis</i> Species of fungus

Hericium abietis, commonly known as the bear's head, conifer coral hericium, or western coral hedgehog, is an edible mushroom in the tooth fungus group. It grows on conifer stumps or logs in North America, producing a cream white fruit body up to 10–75 cm (4–30 in) tall and wide. It fruits from after the start of the fall rains to mid-season.

<i>Mycena maculata</i> Species of fungus in the family Mycenaceae

Mycena maculata, commonly known as the reddish-spotted Mycena, is a species of fungus in the family Mycenaceae. The fruit bodies, or mushrooms, have conic to bell-shaped to convex caps that are initially dark brown but fade to brownish-gray when young, reaching diameters of up to 4 cm. They are typically wrinkled or somewhat grooved, and have reddish-brown spots in age, or after being cut or bruised. The whitish to pale gray gills also become spotted reddish-brown as they mature. The stem, up to 8 cm (3 in) long and covered with whitish hairs at its base, can also develop reddish stains. The mycelium of M. maculata has bioluminescent properties. The saprobic fungus is found in Europe and North America, where it grows in groups or clusters on the rotting wood of both hardwoods and conifers. The edibility of the fungus is unknown. Although the species is known for, and named after its propensity to stain reddish, occasionally these stains do not appear, making it virtually indistinguishable from M. galericulata.

<i>Tylopilus tabacinus</i> Species of fungus

Tylopilus tabacinus is a species of bolete fungus in the family Boletaceae. It is characterized by a tawny-brown cap measuring up to 17.5 cm (6.9 in) in diameter, and a reticulated stem up to 16.5 cm (6.5 in) long by 6 cm (2.4 in) thick. A characteristic microscopic feature is the distinctive crystalline substance encrusted on the hyphae in the surface of the cap. The species is known from the eastern United States from Florida north to Rhode Island, and west to Mississippi, and from eastern Mexico. It is a mycorrhizal species, and associates with oak and beech trees.

<i>Pholiota nubigena</i> Species of fungus

Pholiota nubigena, commonly known as the gastroid pholiota or the bubble gum fungus, is a species of secotioid fungus in the family Strophariaceae. It is found in mountainous areas of the western United States, where it grows on rotting conifer wood, often fir logs. It fruits in spring, often under snow, and early summer toward the end of the snowmelt period in high mountain forests. Fruit bodies appear similar to unopened mushrooms, measuring 1–4 centimetres tall with 1–2.4 cm diameter caps that are whitish to brownish. They have a short but distinct whitish stipe that extend through the internal spore mass (gleba) of the fruit body into the cap. The gleba consists of irregular chambers made of contorted gills that are brownish in color. A whitish, cottony partial veil is present in young specimens, but it often disappears in age and does not leave a ring on the stipe.

References

  1. Arora, David (1986). Mushrooms Demystified: A Comprehensive Guide to the Fleshy Fungi (2nd ed.). Berkeley: Ten Speed Press. ISBN   9780898150094.
  2. "Rogers Mushrooms | Mushroom Pictures & Mushroom Reference". Archived from the original on 2008-10-12. Retrieved 2008-12-08.
  3. "Borescope-Chlorociboria aeruginascens" . Retrieved 2008-12-09.
  4. "Chlorociboria aeruginascens" . Retrieved 2008-12-09.
  5. 1 2 Seaver FJ. (1936). Photographs and descriptions of cup-fungi-XXIV. Chlorociboria. Mycologia 28: 390–394.
  6. 1 2 Seaver FJ. (1951). The North American Cup-Fungi (Inoperculates). New York. Pp. 1–428.
  7. Velenovský J. (1934). Monographia Discomycetum Bohemiae. 1: 1–436. 2: pl. 1–31. Prague.
  8. 1 2 Ramamurthi CS, Korf RP, Batra LR. (1957). A revision of the North American species of Chlorociboria (Sclerotiniaceae). Mycologia 49(6): 854–863.
  9. McNeil, Raymond (2015). Champignons du Québec (in French) (Reviewed and Expanded ed.). Éditions Michel Quintin. p. 61. ISBN   9782894357712.
  10. Bougher, Neale L.; Syme, Katrina (1998). Fungi of Southern Australia - Google Book Search. ISBN   9781875560806 . Retrieved 2008-12-09.
  11. Dennis RWG. (1956). A revision of the British Helotiaceae in the herbarium of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, with notes on related European species. Commonwealth Myc. Inst. Myc. Papers62: 1–216.
  12. Phillips, Roger (2010). Mushrooms and Other Fungi of North America . Buffalo, NY: Firefly Books. p.  376. ISBN   978-1-55407-651-2.
  13. Schmidt O. (1994). Holz- und Baumpilze. Biologie, Schiden, Schutz, Nutzen. Berlin/Heidelberg. pp 92–93.
  14. Maeda M, Yamauchi T, Oshima K, Shimomura M, Miyauchis, Mukae K, Sakaki T, Shibata M, Wakamatsu K. (2003). Extraction of Xylindein from Chlorociboria aeruginosa complex and its biological characteristics. Technical report of the Technological University of Nagaoka25: 105–111.
  15. R. L. Edwards and N. Kale, Tetrahedron 1965, 21, 2095–2107
  16. Saikawa Y, Watanabe T, Hashimoto K, Nakata M. (2000). Absolute configuration and tautomeric structure of xylindein, a blue–green pigment of Chlorociboria species. Phytochemistry55(3): 237–240.
  17. Arora, David (1986). Mushrooms Demystified: A Comprehensive Guide to the Fleshy Fungi . Ten Speed Press. pp.  959. ISBN   0-89815-169-4 . Retrieved 2008-12-09. Chlorociboria aeruginascens.
  18. Wickens, G.E. (2004). Economic Botany: Principles and Practices. Springer. p. 566. ISBN   1-4020-2228-X . Retrieved 2008-12-09.
  19. Blanchette RA, Wilmering AM, Baumeister M. (1992). The use of green-stained wood caused by the fungus Chlorociboria in intarsia masterpieces from the 15th century. Holzforschung46(3): 225–232.