Hericium erinaceus | |
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Specimen on fallen log | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Fungi |
Division: | Basidiomycota |
Class: | Agaricomycetes |
Order: | Russulales |
Family: | Hericiaceae |
Genus: | Hericium |
Species: | H. erinaceus |
Binomial name | |
Hericium erinaceus | |
Synonyms | |
|
Teeth on hymenium | |
No distinct cap | |
Hymenium attachment is not applicable | |
Lacks a stipe | |
Spore print is white | |
Ecology is saprotrophic | |
Edibility is choice |
Hericium erinaceus, commonly known as lion's mane, yamabushitake, bearded tooth fungus, or bearded hedgehog, [1] [2] is a species of tooth fungus. It tends to grow in a single clump with dangling spines longer than 1 centimetre (1⁄2 inch). It can be mistaken for other Hericium species that grow in the same areas.
Native to North America and Eurasia, the mushrooms are common during late summer and autumn on hardwoods, particularly American beech and maple. Usually H. erinaceus is considered saprophytic, as it mostly feeds on dead trees. It can also be found on living trees, usually in association with a wound. The fruit bodies can be harvested for culinary use and are used in traditional Chinese medicine.
Despite its higher prevalence in Asia, Hericium erinaceus was first described scientifically in North America.[ citation needed ]
Both the Latin genus name Hericium and the species name erinaceus mean 'hedgehog' in Latin. This is also reflected by the German name, Igel-Stachelbart (literally, 'hedgehog-goatee'), and some of its common English names, such as bearded hedgehog and hedgehog mushroom. [3] It is known in Japan as yamabushitake (Kanji: 山伏茸, Katakana: ヤマブシタケ) in reference to the yamabushi or mountain ascetics of the syncretistic religion known as Shugendo; while in Chinese, it is known as hóutóugū (simplified Chinese :猴头菇; traditional Chinese :猴頭菇; Jyutping :hau4 tou4 gu1) meaning "monkey-head mushroom", and in Europe and the United States as lion's mane. [4]
The fruit bodies of H. erinaceus are large, irregular bulbous tubercules. They are 5–40 centimetres (2–15+1⁄2 inches) in diameter, [5] and are dominated by crowded, hanging, spore-producing spines, which are 1–5 cm (1⁄2–2 in) long or longer. [6] [7]
The hyphal system is monomitic, amyloid, and composed of thin- to thick-walled hyphae that are approximately 3–15 μm (microns) wide. The hyphae also contain clamped septa and gloeoplerous elements (filled with oily, resinous substances), which can come into the hymenium as gloeocystidia.
The basidia are 25–40 μm long and 5–7 μm wide, contain four spores each and possess a basal clamp. The white amyloid spores measure approximately 5–7 μm in length and 4–5 μm in width. The spore shape is described as subglobose to short ellipsoid and the spore surface is smooth to finely roughened. [5] [6]
It has been observed that H. erinaceus can fruit intermittently for 20 years on the same dead tree. It is hypothesized that H. erinaceus can survive for 40 years. [5] The mating system of H. erinaceus species found in the U.S. was shown to be bifactorially heterothallic. [8]
The monokaryotic mycelium growth of H. erinaceus is slower than dikaryotic growth and only a relatively low percentage of monokaryotic cultures yield fruitbodies. Monokaryotic fruitbodies are also smaller than dikaryotic fruitbodies. [5] The monokaryotic mycelium was found to produce fusoid to subglobose chlamydospores of 6–8 x 8–10 μm size. These spores can stay viable for more than seven years and be stored under anaerobic conditions.[ citation needed ] Chlamydospore germination requires 30 to 52 hours, with a germination success rate of 32 to 54%. [8]
Spore production is highest at midday, relative to temperature increase and a decrease of relative humidity. Daily trends toward lower relative humidity can favor sporulation, however, levels of relative humidity that are too low do not favor high total spore production. [9]
H. erinaceus contains diverse phytochemicals, including polysaccharides, such as β-glucan, as well as hericenones and erinacines. [3] From its essential oil, 77 aroma and flavor compounds were identified, including hexadecanoic acid (26% of total oil composition), linoleic acid (13%), phenylacetaldehyde (9%) and benzaldehyde (3%), and other oils, such as 2-methyl-3-furanthiol, 2-ethylpyrazine and 2,6-diethylpyrazine. [10] Low concentrations of ergosterol are present. [3]
Similar species in the genus include H. americanum and H. coralloides , [7] both found in eastern North America. [11] Additional species with a resemblance include Donkia pulcherrima , Radulomyces copelandii and some within Sarcodontia . [12]
In Europe, the fruit bodies of H. erinaceus are mainly produced annually from August to November. [13] In North America, they appear from October to February in the west, from July to October in the Mountain states, and from September to February in the east. [12]
In the wild, lion's mane is usually associated with a tree wound and causes a white pocket rot. Decayed tissue becomes spongy and eventually disintegrates to form a cavity. The distinctive fruiting bodies (basidiocarps) generally appear near the edges of old wounds in autumn. [14] It may be a tree parasite, possibly indicating an endophytic habitat.[ citation needed ]
H. erinaceus hosts in North America include maple, ash, oaks, and eucalyptus. [14] In California, lion's mane has been found on coast live oak, canyon live oak, interior live oak, California black oak, blue oak, and valley oak. [14]
Lion's mane is able to withstand cold temperatures and frost conditions. [15]
Brennandania lambi (Acari: Pygmephoroidea) is a mite pest of fungi culture in China. This mite can develop and reproduce on the mycelium of H. erinaceus. Farm hygiene and heat treatments are the most important pest management strategies that should be followed to counter this acarus. [16]
Hericium species are good competitors against other wood colonisers. They show the ability to maintain their place on dead wood, also when confronted with secondary colonizers, such as Trametes versicolor and Stereum hirsutum . [5] Hericium erinaceus has shown to be slightly more competitive than other fungi tooth species, including Creolophus cirrhatus and H. coralloides. [17]
Although H. erinaceus is native to Europe, it has been red listed in 13 European countries due to poor germination and establishment.[ citation needed ]
In fungi cultivation, fungal strains are analogous to plant varieties in crop breeding. [11] Fungal strains comprise clonal descendants of a single isolation from one fungal colony in a pure culture. [18] The production of H. erinaceus is widespread in Asia, mostly using extensive production practices on wood logs or stumps. [3]
Although there is considerable scientific research about Hericium spp., they are not commonly industrially produced in the West. Accordingly, there are few commercially available strains in the U.S. or Europe and little or no breeding for higher yield or other favorable traits has occurred. [11] Production trials in Egypt report yields of H. erinaceus averaging at 165 g per 1 kg medium. [19]
In North America, its production occurs only on a small scale. Most of it is intensive indoor production with only a few small outdoor sites where log cultivation is practiced. [11]
As a saprophyte that occurs on dead wood, [3] H. erinaceus requires adequate substrate factors, including suitable carbon and nitrogen sources, a certain pH value and ideal carbon-to-nitrogen ratio. [20] [21]
Many different substrates have been used to successfully cultivate this mushroom. Depending on the type of cultivation, the substrate can be either solid (artificial log) or liquid (submerged culture and deep submerged culture).
The solid substrate is most commonly a mixture of sawdust of hardwood or conifer containing different complements that may include wheat bran, wheat straw, soybean meal, corn meal, rice bran, and rice straw. For example, H. erinaceus strains grow on beech sawdust substrate enriched with wheat bran (20%), rye grain (25%), soybean meal (7%), rapeseed meal (10%), or meat-osseous flour (6%). [19]
An example of a liquid substrate composition can be glucose for the carbon source, soybean powder, corn powder, and wheat bran powder as a complex nitrogen source. [21] The pH values most suitable for the favorable growth of H. erinaceus were in the range of 5.0–9.0, with pH 6.0 as optimal. [22]
Hericium erinaceus requires a humid environment for its growth: 85 to 90% of relative humidity in the air. [5] The incubation temperature most suitable for the mycelial growth of H. erinaceus was found to be 25 °C, [22] and the optimum temperature for vegetative growth was 26 °C. [22] H. erinaceus is unable to grow with a water potential lower than -5 Mpa. [15]
The artificial cultivation of H. erinaceus was first reported in China in 1988.[ citation needed ] It is cultivated using artificial logs, bottles, and polypropylene bags. However, this type of artificial cultivation is not suitable for industrialized production due to its low yield and long cultivation cycles. [21]
Submerged culture is a type of artificial cultivation of H. erinaceus whereby the fungus is grown in a liquid medium. Using this method, a large number of mycelia can be obtained quickly. [21] Bioactive compounds can be sourced from the fruiting bodies, submerged-cultivated mycelial biomass, or liquid-cultivated broth. Growers optimize the culture medium composition to obtain simultaneously high yields of H. erinaceus mycelial biomass, exopolysaccharides, and polysaccharides.[ citation needed ] Submerged fermentation is preferable for the production of mycelial biomass and biologically active metabolites in order to produce a more uniform biomass and extract products. [23]
Growth regulators, such as 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid and gibberellin, were observed to have an advantageous effect on spore germination. [24] Other technologies, such as red and green laser light of low intensity, stimulated spore germination as well as the vegetative growth of mycelium. [25] Argon and helium lasers also contributed to the acceleration of fruit body development by 36–51%. [5] [26]
Wild strains of Hericium spp. can be isolated and cultivated by first gathering fruiting bodies from fallen trees in the natural habitat. The fruiting bodies can then be opened to attain pieces of their inner spore-producing tissue. This tissue is then placed onto Petri dishes with agar to cultivate fungal colonies at 25 °C. After several transfers to new Petri dishes to verify the purity of the strain, it can be kept at −80 °C for long-term storage. [27]
The edible fruiting bodies are common in gourmet cooking, with young specimens considered the best. [28] Alongside shiitake (Lentinus edodes) and oyster (Pleurotus ostreatus) mushrooms, H. erinaceus is used as a specialty mushroom in recipes. [27] [29]
H. erinaceus fruiting bodies contain 57% carbohydrates (8% as dietary fiber), 4% fat, and 22% protein. [30]
H. erinaceus has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for centuries. [3] More recently, it has been included in products such as coffee and touted as an adaptogen. [31]
H. erinaceus has been the subject of at least eight clinical studies investigating its potential neurological and cognitive benefits. [32] Key research findings include:
Further large-scale and long-term studies are needed to confirm the therapeutic potential and safety of Lion's Mane.
A mushroom or toadstool is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground, on soil, or on its food source. Toadstool generally denotes one poisonous to humans.
Psilocybe cubensis, commonly known as the magic mushroom, shroom, golden halo, golden teacher, cube, or gold cap, is a species of psilocybin mushroom of moderate potency whose principal active compounds are psilocybin and psilocin. It belongs to the fungus family Hymenogastraceae and was previously known as Stropharia cubensis. It is the best-known psilocybin mushroom due to its wide distribution and ease of cultivation.
Edible mushrooms are the fleshy fruit bodies of numerous species of macrofungi. Edibility may be defined by criteria including the absence of poisonous effects on humans and desirable taste and aroma. Mushrooms that have a particularly desirable taste are described as "choice". Edible mushrooms are consumed for their nutritional and culinary value. Mushrooms, especially dried shiitake, are sources of umami flavor.
Tremella fuciformis is a species of fungus; it produces white, frond-like, gelatinous basidiocarps. It is widespread, especially in the tropics, where it can be found on the dead branches of broadleaf trees. This fungus is commercially cultivated and is one of the most popular fungi in the cuisine and medicine of China. T. fuciformis is commonly known as snow fungus, snow ear, silver ear fungus, white jelly mushroom, and white cloud ears.
Psilocybe tampanensis is a very rare psychedelic mushroom in the family Hymenogastraceae. Originally collected in the wild in a sandy meadow near Tampa, Florida, in 1977, the fungus would not be found in Florida again until 44 years later. The original Florida specimen was cloned, and descendants remain in wide circulation. The fruit bodies (mushrooms) produced by the fungus are yellowish-brown in color with convex to conic caps up to 2.4 cm (0.9 in) in diameter atop a thin stem up to 6 cm (2.4 in) long. Psilocybe tampanensis forms psychoactive truffle-like sclerotia that are known and sold under the nickname "philosopher's stones". The fruit bodies and sclerotia are consumed by some for recreational or entheogenic purposes. In nature, sclerotia are produced by the fungus as a rare form of protection from wildfires and other natural disasters.
Fungiculture is the cultivation of fungi such as mushrooms. Cultivating fungi can yield foods, medicine, construction materials and other products. A mushroom farm is involved in the business of growing fungi.
A basidiospore is a reproductive spore produced by basidiomycete fungi, a grouping that includes mushrooms, shelf fungi, rusts, and smuts. Basidiospores typically each contain one haploid nucleus that is the product of meiosis, and they are produced by specialized fungal cells called basidia. Typically, four basidiospores develop on appendages from each basidium, of which two are of one strain and the other two of its opposite strain. In gills under a cap of one common species, there exist millions of basidia. Some gilled mushrooms in the order Agaricales have the ability to release billions of spores. The puffball fungus Calvatia gigantea has been calculated to produce about five trillion basidiospores. Most basidiospores are forcibly discharged, and are thus considered ballistospores. These spores serve as the main air dispersal units for the fungi. The spores are released during periods of high humidity and generally have a night-time or pre-dawn peak concentration in the atmosphere.
Hericium coralloides is a saprotrophic fungus, commonly known as coral tooth fungus or comb coral mushroom.
Crucibulum is a genus in the Nidulariaceae, a family of fungi whose fruiting bodies resemble tiny egg-filled bird's nests. Often called "splash cups", the fruiting bodies are adapted for spore dispersal by using the kinetic energy of falling drops of rain. The "eggs" inside the bird's nests are hard waxy shells containing spores, and tend to stick to whatever nearby herbage they land on, thus increasing the odds of being consumed and dispersed by herbivorous animals. Members of this genus are saprobic, obtaining nutrients from dead organic matter, and are typically found growing on decayed wood and wood debris. The three known Crucibulum species are distinguished from other genera of the Nidulariaceae by their relatively simple funiculus – a cord of hyphae that connects the peridiole to the exterior of the bird's nest.
Cyathus is a genus of fungi in the Nidulariaceae, which is a family collectively known as the bird's nest fungi. They are given this name as they resemble tiny bird's nests filled with "eggs" – structures large enough to have been mistaken in the past for seeds. However, these are now known to be reproductive structures containing spores. The "eggs", or peridioles, are firmly attached to the inner surface of this fruit body by an elastic cord of mycelia known as a funiculus. The 45 species are widely distributed throughout the world and some are found in most countries, although a few exist in only one or two locales. Cyathus stercoreus is considered endangered in a number of European countries. Some species of Cyathus are also known as splash cups, which refers to the fact that falling raindrops can knock the peridioles out of the open-cup fruit body. The internal and external surfaces of this cup may be ridged longitudinally ; this is one example of a taxonomic characteristic that has traditionally served to distinguish between species.
Rhizina undulata, commonly known as the doughnut fungus or the pine firefungus, is a species of fungus in the family Rhizinaceae. The fruit bodies of the fungus are dark purple brown with a bright yellow margin, crust-like and attached to the growing surface by numerous root-like yellow rhizoids. R. undulata has a cosmopolitan distribution, and commonly occurs on clearings or burned areas throughout central and northern Europe, North America, northern Asia, and southern Africa. It is parasitic on conifer seedlings, and has caused considerable damage to tree plantations worldwide.
Astraeus hygrometricus, commonly known as the hygroscopic earthstar, the barometer earthstar, or the false earthstar, is a species of fungus in the family Diplocystaceae. Young specimens resemble a puffball when unopened. In maturity, the mushroom displays the characteristic earthstar shape that is a result of the outer layer of fruit body tissue splitting open in a star-like manner. The false earthstar is an ectomycorrhizal species that grows in association with various trees, especially in sandy soils. A. hygrometricus was previously thought to have a cosmopolitan distribution, though it is now thought to be restricted to Southern Europe, and Astraeus are common in temperate and tropical regions. Its common names refer to the fact that it is hygroscopic (water-absorbing) and can open up its rays to expose the spore sac in response to increased humidity, then close them up again in drier conditions. The rays have an irregularly cracked surface, while the spore case is pale brown and smooth with an irregular slit or tear at the top. The gleba is white initially, but turns brown and powdery when the spores mature. The spores are reddish-brown and roughly spherical with minute warts, measuring 7.5–11 micrometers in diameter.
Hericium is a genus of edible mushrooms in the family Hericiaceae. Species in this genus are white and fleshy and grow on dead or dying wood; fruiting bodies resemble a mass of fragile icicle-like spines that are suspended from either a branched supporting framework or from a tough, unbranched cushion of tissue.
Panellus stipticus, commonly known as the bitter oyster, the astringent panus, the luminescent panellus, or the stiptic fungus, is a species of fungus. It belongs in the family Mycenaceae, and the type species of the genus Panellus. A common and widely distributed species, it is found in Asia, Australia, Europe, and North America, where it grows in groups or dense overlapping clusters on the logs, stumps, and trunks of deciduous trees, especially beech, oak, and birch. During the development of the fruit bodies, the mushrooms start out as tiny white knobs, which, over a period of one to three months, develop into fan- or kidney-shaped caps that measure up to 3 cm (1.2 in) broad. The caps are orange-yellow to brownish, and attached to the decaying wood by short stubby stalks that are connected off-center or on the side of the caps. The fungus was given its current scientific name in 1879, but has been known by many names since French mycologist Jean Bulliard first described it as Agaricus stypticus in 1783. Molecular phylogenetic analysis revealed P. stipticus to have a close genetic relationship with members of the genus Mycena.
Geastrum quadrifidum, commonly known as the rayed earthstar or four-footed earthstar, is an inedible species of mushroom belonging to the genus Geastrum, or earthstar fungi. First described scientifically by Christian Hendrik Persoon in 1794, G. quadrifidum is a cosmopolitan—but not common—species of Europe, the Americas, Africa, Asia, and Australasia. The fungus is a saprobe, feeding off decomposing organic matter present in the soil and litter of coniferous forests.
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.
Hericium americanum, commonly known as the bear's head tooth fungus is an edible mushroom in the tooth fungus group. It was described as new to science in 1984 by Canadian mycologist James Herbert Ginns.
Rhizopus stolonifer is commonly known as black bread mold. It is a member of Zygomycota and considered the most important species in the genus Rhizopus. It is one of the most common fungi in the world and has a global distribution although it is most commonly found in tropical and subtropical regions. It is a common agent of decomposition of stored foods. Like other members of the genus Rhizopus, R. stolonifer grows rapidly, mostly in indoor environments.
Hericium novae-zealandiae is a species of fungus in the Hericiaceae family. Formerly classified as Hericium coralloides which shares an almost identical morphology. Being saprotrophic, H. novae-zealandiae can be observed growing from dead, decaying wood. Also known as pekepekekiore, it is endemic to New Zealand and was consumed by indigenous Māori.
Sphaerosporella brunnea is a pryophilic species of small ascomycete cup fungi that commonly makes its habitat on burned substrates. Sphaerosporella brunnea is synonymous with Sphaerosporella hinnulea, Trichophaea brunnea, Peziza brunnea and numerous other fungi due to previously conceived variations in the fungi's habitat, substrate, and color ranging from dark brown to a light yellow-orange, however these differences were soon found to be negligible. S. brunnea is ectomycorrhizal, suspected to be saprobic, and is thought to be commonly widely distributed in Australia, Asia, the eastern United States and parts of Europe, such as Germany, Austria, Poland, the United Kingdom, and Sweden. This minuscule fungi is a detrimental contaminant in black truffle orchards, where Sphaerosporella brunnea seems to compete and inhibit the infection and growth of Tuber fungi, causing economic loss due to decreased infection rates of Tuber species.