Hydnellum caeruleum

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Hydnellum caeruleum
Hydnellum caeruleum 93507.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Basidiomycota
Class: Agaricomycetes
Order: Thelephorales
Family: Bankeraceae
Genus: Hydnellum
Species:
H. caeruleum
Binomial name
Hydnellum caeruleum

Hydnellum caeruleum, commonly known as the blue-gray hydnellum, [1] blue-green hydnellum, blue spine, blue tooth, or bluish tooth, [2] is an inedible fungus found in North America, [3] Europe, and temperate areas of Asia. [4]

Contents

The young caps have shades of blue, gray and brown, with light blue near the margin. The stem is orange to brown. The flesh is blue to black in the cap, and red to brownish in the stem. The blue hues tend to fade with age. [4]

H. aurantiacum is very similar to mature specimens but differs in color. H. suaveolens is similar, with mostly blue flesh and odour of anise. [4]

Taxonomy and phylogeny

Hydnellum caeruleum (Hornem.) P. Karst was first discovered by Jens Wilken Hornemann under the Swedish mycologist Elias Magnus Fries in 1825 and later added to the genus Hydnellum in 1879 by Finnish mycologist Petter Adolf Karsten. [5]

Some past synonyms for the species include Hydnum cyaneotinctum (found in Orris Island, ME, 1903) and Hydnellum/Hydnum/Sarcodon alachuanum (found in Alachua, FL, 1940). [5]

Morphology

Hydnellum caeruleum
Information icon.svg
Teeth icon.png Teeth on hymenium
Flat cap icon.svg Cap is flat
Decurrent gills icon2.svg Hymenium is decurrent
Bare stipe icon.svg Stipe is bare
Transparent spore print icon.svg
Spore print is brown
Mycorrhizal fungus.svgEcology is mycorrhizal
Mycomorphbox Inedible.pngEdibility is inedible

H. caeruleum belongs to a historic group of “stipitate hydnoid fungi” or “stalked tooth fungi” due to its morphological appearance with a cap, woody stipe, and distinct toothed hymenium. The fruiting body can be single or fuse with other bodies (called “confluence”) into gregarious or concrescent sporocarps. Due to this growth pattern, twigs and leaves can sometimes become engulfed into the flesh. [5]

The species has a whitish-blue cap, or pileus, which can be convex to planar in shape and is around 8 cm broad. The cap is tomentose, meaning that small dense hairs can make it feel velvety to the touch. The fungus is zonate, with concentric bands of color sometimes apparent on its cap, ranging from white, to grayish violet, to pastel blue zones. [5] When bruised, flesh stains dark inky blue. Similarly, the inner flesh of the fungus appears blue when cut and dulls into a dark gray-blue when dry.

Pale white or gray spines (3-6mm in length) cover the decurrent toothed hymenium on the stipe and underside of the cap. Older samples may have teeth that have turned brown to dark brown. [6] Stipe is central and terete in shape, meaning that it is cylindrical and tapers in width. The base of the stipe is more bulbous and sometimes has an orange coloration. [5]

Climate effects can impact the coloration and defining characteristics of this fungus. During periods of high humidity, H. caeruleum can develop yellow liquid drops on actively growing pilei. Additionally, cool late-September temperatures can lead the fungus to develop deeper blue colors during this time. [7]

Microscopic features

H. caeruleum produces brownish basidiospores which are subglobose, or not quite spherical. The basidiospores are 5-6.2 x 4.5-5.5 μm in size with tuberculate ornamentation. [5] Small spore sizes in this genera mean that the tubercles can only be investigated under electron microscopy. H. caeruleum spores investigated by Grand & Van Dyke [8] had a high tendency of dichotomously branched tubercles, or two tubercles that arose from the same area.

The species has a monomitic hyphal system. Simple-septa generative hyphae makes up the tissues and is rarely found with clamp connections. Basidia are clavate with four sterigmata. [6]

Similar species

H. caeruleum can be discerned from the macroscopically similar Hydnellum suaveolens species based on microscopic features, though their odors are a useful way to identify the species in the field. H. caeruleum has a farinaceous, starchy odor, while H. suaveolens has a minty, fragrant odor. [9]

Ecology

Hydnellum caeruleum is mycorrhizal and often found in the humus beneath conifer trees. [10]

H. caeruleum is an ectomycorrhizal fungus native to temperate regions of Asia, Europe, and North America. The species is commonly found in pine and spruce ecosystems due to its mycorrhizal relationships with coniferous trees. [10] In these relationships, the fungus receives nutrients from the tree and in turn assists the plant in water and mineral uptake. Therefore, it is speculated that this fungus holds important impacts for the field of forestry.

A study from 2012 suggests that stipitate hydnoid fungi such as H. caeruleum can remain in soils 1-4 years after their sporocarps are gon due to persistent below-ground mycelium. This persistence of vegetal mycelium was more important for the survival of the species than the production of sporocarps for sexual reproduction, suggesting that sporocarps may only form under specific advantageous conditions. [11]

A study on stipitate hydnoid fungi in Scottish coniferous forests, which focused on the conservation status and distribution of fungi in these habitats, discovered H. caeruleum making an interesting ectomycorrhizal association. H. caeruleum made an association with an heather shrub ( Arctostaphylos uva-ursi) in a treeless site, indicating that the fungus may be able to switch hosts from coniferous trees to shrub species. The study suggested that this finding is important for the field of fungi and tree conservation, as H. caeruleum could survive even after a deforestation event and assist in the eventual reforestation of its habitat. [12]

Relevance to humans

While the fungus is not edible for humans, H. caeruleum’s unique coloration makes it a prized species for mushroom dyers. The fungus can create blue, green, and brown dyes depending on the mordant that is used. [13] Additionally, some bioactive compounds have been isolated from the species including the p-terphenyl compound Aurantiacin [14] and six p-terphenyl derivatives named thelephantins I–N with a known compound, dihydroaurantiacin dibenzoate. [15]

Related Research Articles

<i>Hydnum repandum</i> Species of edible fungus of the family Hydnaceae distributed in Europe

Hydnum repandum, commonly known as the sweet tooth, pig's trotter, wood hedgehog or hedgehog mushroom, is a basidiomycete fungus of the family Hydnaceae. First described by Carl Linnaeus in 1753, it is the type species of the genus Hydnum. The fungus produces fruit bodies (mushrooms) that are characterized by their spore-bearing structures—in the form of spines rather than gills—which hang down from the underside of the cap. The cap is dry, colored yellow to light orange to brown, and often develops an irregular shape, especially when it has grown closely crowded with adjacent fruit bodies. The mushroom tissue is white with a pleasant odor and a spicy or bitter taste. All parts of the mushroom stain orange with age or when bruised.

<i>Hydnum rufescens</i> Species of fungus

Hydnum rufescens, commonly known as the terracotta hedgehog, is an edible basidiomycete of the family Hydnaceae. It belongs to the small group of mushrooms often referred to as the tooth fungi, which produce fruit bodies whose cap undersurfaces are covered by hymenophores resembling spines or teeth, and not pores or gills.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hydnellum peckii</span> Species of fungus

Hydnellum peckii is a fungus in the genus Hydnellum of the family Bankeraceae. It is a hydnoid species, producing spores on the surface of vertical spines or tooth-like projections that hang from the undersurface of the fruit bodies. It is found in North America, Europe, and was recently discovered in Iran (2008) and Korea (2010). Hydnellum peckii is a mycorrhizal species, and forms mutually beneficial relationships with a variety of coniferous trees, growing on the ground singly, scattered, or in fused masses.

<i>Hydnellum</i> Genus of fungi in the family Bankeraceae

Hydnellum is a genus of tooth fungi in the family Bankeraceae. Widely distributed in the Northern Hemisphere, the genus contains around 40 species. The fruitbodies of its members grow by slowly enveloping nearby bits of grass and vegetation. There is great variability in the form of Hydnellum fruitbodies, which are greatly influenced by environmental conditions such as rainfall and humidity, drying winds, and temperature. They are too tough and woody to eat comfortably. Several species have become the focus of increasing conservation concern following widespread declines in abundance.

<i>Hydnellum concrescens</i> Species of fungus

Hydnellum concrescens is an inedible fungus, commonly known as the zoned hydnellum or zoned tooth fungus. As with other tooth fungi, the spores are produced on spines on the underside of the cap, rather than gills. It has a funnel-shaped cap, typically between 2 and 7 cm in diameter, which has characteristic concentric zones of color. The cap may also have radial ridges extending from the center to the margins. The spines are pink in young specimens, but turn brown with age.

<i>Phellodon</i> Genus of tooth fungi in the family Bankeraceae

Phellodon is a genus of tooth fungi in the family Bankeraceae. Species have small- to medium-sized fruitbodies with white spines on the underside from which spores are released. All Phellodon have a short stalk or stipe, and so the genus falls into the group known as stipitate hydnoid fungi. The tough and leathery flesh usually has a pleasant, fragrant odor, and develops a cork-like texture when dry. Neighboring fruitbodies can fuse, sometimes producing large mats of joined caps. Phellodon species produce a white spore print, while the individual spores are roughly spherical to ellipsoid in shape, with spiny surfaces.

<i>Sarcodon</i> Genus of fungi

Sarcodon is a genus of fungi in the family Bankeraceae, which is part of the order Thelephorales, known for its almost universal ectomycorrhizal ecology. The genus owes its name to the presence of teeth-like spines on the hymenophore, from ancient Greek; sarco = flesh and odon = tooth. For this reason they are commonly called "tooth fungi", or "Hydnoid fungi".

<i>Hydnellum aurantiacum</i> Species of fungus

Hydnellum aurantiacum is an inedible fungus, commonly known as the orange spine or orange hydnellum for its reddish orange or rusty red colored fruit bodies. Like other tooth fungi, it bears a layer of spines rather than gills on the underside of the cap. Due to substantial declines in sightings, this species is listed as critically endangered in the United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hydnoid fungi</span> Group of fungi

The hydnoid fungi are a group of fungi in the Basidiomycota with basidiocarps producing spores on pendant, tooth-like or spine-like projections. They are colloquially called tooth fungi. Originally such fungi were referred to the genus Hydnum, but it is now known that not all hydnoid species are closely related.

<i>Hydnellum ferrugineum</i> Species of fungus

Hydnellum ferrugineum, commonly known as the mealy tooth or the reddish-brown corky spine fungus, is a species of tooth fungus in the family Bankeraceae. A widely distributed species, it is found in north Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America. The fungus fruits on the ground singly or in clusters in conifer forest, usually in poor or sandy soil. Fruit bodies are somewhat top-shaped, measuring 3–10 cm (1–4 in) in diameter. Their velvety surfaces, initially white to pink, sometimes exude drops of red liquid. The lower surface of the fruit body features white to reddish-brown spines up to 6 mm long. Mature fruit bodies become dark reddish brown in color, and are then difficult to distinguish from other similar Hydnellum species. H. ferrugineum forms a mat of mycelia in the humus and upper soil where it grows. The presence of the fungus changes the characteristics of the soil, making it more podzolized.

<i>Hydnellum fuscoindicum</i> Species of fungus

Hydnellum fuscoindicum, commonly known as the violet hedgehog, is a species of tooth fungus in the genus Hydnellum. It is found in the Pacific Northwest in moss around western hemlocks. It produces fruit bodies with a violet-black cap, violet flesh, and violet spines on the cap underside. The odor and taste are very farinaceous. The fungus was first described by Kenneth A. Harrison in 1964 as a species of Hydnum, then transferred to Sarcodon in 1967 by Rudolph Arnold Maas Geesteranus. He placed this species in section Violacei of Sarcodon, along with H. fuligineoviolaceum and H. joeides.

<i>Hydnellum auratile</i> Species of fungus

Hydnellum auratile is a tooth fungus in the family Bankeraceae. Fruit bodies of the fungus consist of closely grouped, funnel-shaped caps up to 5 cm (2.0 in) in diameter. The caps are initially bright orange with a white rim, and have a felt-like surface. On the cap underside, the hymenium has hanging orange spines with whitish tips. These spines extend a ways down the length of the short stipe. The flesh is orange in both the cap and stipe. In mass, the spores are brown. Microscopically, they measure 4–5 by 3.5–4.5 µm and have short, rounded tubercles on the surface. The widespread Hydnellum aurantiacum is a close lookalike, but can be distinguished by having a white to buff cap, dull orange to brown flesh, and white spines.

<i>Hydnellum compactum</i> Species of fungus

Hydnellum compactum is a rare tooth fungus in the family Bankeraceae. It is characterised by its astringent taste, yellowish flesh. It is found in Europe, where it grows in deciduous forest, typically under beech. Fruit bodies of the fungus grow singly or in groups.

<i>Hydnellum cyanopodium</i> Species of fungus

Hydnellum cyanopodium, commonly known as the blue foot or bleeding blue tooth, is an inedible fungus in the family Bankeraceae. It occurs in the Pacific Northwest region of North America.

Hydnellum scleropodium is a rare species of tooth fungus in the family Bankeraceae. It was described as new to science in 1964 by Canadian mycologist Kenneth A. Harrison. The fungus has been collected in Tennessee, North Carolina, and Nova Scotia, in both mixed and coniferous forest. Its fruitbody has an irregular, brownish cap measuring 10–25 cm (4–10 in) wide. The sclerotium-like stipe measures 3–9 cm (1.2–3.5 in) long by 2–4 cm (0.8–1.6 in) thick, and roots into the ground. The flesh has a strong, fragrant odor. Spines on the cap underside, blue in color, are up to 11 mm long.

<i>Hydnellum scrobiculatum</i> Species of fungus

Hydnellum scrobiculatum, commonly known as the ridged tooth or rough hydnellum, is a tooth fungus in the family Bankeraceae. Widely distributed in the Northern Hemisphere, it is found in Asia, Europe, and North America.

Hydnellum conigenum, commonly known as the funnel hydnum, is a species of tooth fungus in the family Bankeraceae found in North America. It was first described in 1903 by American mycologist Charles Horton Peck from collections made growing on fallen cones of ponderosa pine, near the base of the Moscow Mountains. Peck thought it was similar to H. aurantiacum, differing in its smaller size, more slender stipe, non-zoned flesh, more even cap, and somewhat unusual substrate. Howard James Banker transferred it to the genus Hydnellum in 1906. Its range extends from New Mexico to British Columbia and the Great Lakes region, where it grows in coniferous forests.

<i>Phellodon niger</i> Species of fungus

Phellodon niger, commonly known as the black tooth, is a species of tooth fungus in the family Bankeraceae, and the type species of the genus Phellodon. It was originally described by Elias Magnus Fries in 1815 as a species of Hydnum. Petter Karsten included it as one of the original three species when he circumscribed Phellodon in 1881. The fungus is found in Europe and North America, although molecular studies suggest that the North American populations represent a similar but genetically distinct species.

<i>Hydnellum joeides</i> Species of fungus

Hydnellum joeides is a species of tooth fungus in the family Bankeraceae.

<i>Hydnellum gracilipes</i> Species of fungus

Hydnellum gracilipes is a species of tooth fungus in the family Bankeraceae. It was first described scientifically in 1886 by Petter Karsten, who called it Hydnum gracilipes. He transferred it to the genus Hydnellum in 1879. Fruit bodies of the fungus have a pinkish to reddish-brown colour, a delicate texture described as "felty or papery", and flimsy stipes. Its spores are roughly spherical with a diameter of no more than 5 µm. H. gracilipes is found in northern Europe, where it is mycorrhizal with pine. Collections made in Scotland have been found by lifting the dense ground cover of common heather, which the fungus seems to use to as support to compensate for its flimsy stipe.

References

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