Phellodon melaleucus

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Phellodon melaleucus
Phellodon melaleucus 264419.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Basidiomycota
Class: Agaricomycetes
Order: Thelephorales
Family: Bankeraceae
Genus: Phellodon
Species:
P. melaleucus
Binomial name
Phellodon melaleucus
(Sw. ex Fr.) P.Karst. (1881)
Synonyms [1]
  • Hydnum melaleucumSw. ex Fr. (1815)
  • Hydnellum melaleucum(Sw. ex Fr.) P.Karst. (1879)

Phellodon melaleucus, commonly known as the grey tooth, [2] is a species of tooth fungus in the family Bankeraceae. It was originally described by Elias Magnus Fries in 1815 as a species of Hydnum . [3] In 1881, Petter Karsten included it as one of the original three species in his newly circumscribed genus Phellodon . [4] The fungus is widely distributed in Europe and North America, where it associates mycorrhizally with a wide range of host trees. It is considered vulnerable in Switzerland. [5]

Contents

Description

The grey tooth is a small to medium-sized fungus with a leathery or corky fruiting body. On the underside it has pale grayish-brown spines from which spores are released rather than from gills. It may look like a convoluted single fruiting body but in fact each part has a blackish stem, and several caps can fuse together. The cap tends to be concentrically zoned with a reddish-brown to blackish-brown centre and a pale edge. The flesh is greyish-brown, darker near the base of the stem, and smells of fenugreek. [6]

Distribution and habitat

This species occurs in various parts of Europe and has been recorded in North America. [7] It is uncommon in the United Kingdom and very rare in Ireland. This is an ectomycorrhizal species that forms a symbiotic relationship with the roots of various plants, usually trees; the hyphae of the fungus wrap round the rootlets of the host tree, and there is an exchange of nutrients between the two. [8] It is typically found growing on the ground on mossy banks in the vicinity of its hosts. In the British Isles it is associated with various trees including oak, beech, sweet chestnut, birch, Scots pine and spruce. [6]

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, 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>Tyromyces chioneus</i> Species of fungus

Tyromyces chioneus, commonly known as the white cheese polypore, is a species of polypore fungus. A widely distributed fungus, it has a circumpolar distribution, in temperate boreal pine forests, of Asia, Europe, and North America, causes white rot in dead hardwood trees, especially birch.

<i>Climacodon septentrionalis</i> Species of fungus

Climacodon septentrionalis, commonly known as the northern tooth fungus or the white rot fungus, is a species of shelf fungus in the phylum Basidiomycota. It is white in color and can be found in large clusters on the trunks of trees. This species is a plant pathogen native to North America.

<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>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>Fomes</i> Genus of fungi

Fomes is a genus of perennial woody fungi in the family Polyporaceae. Species are typically hoof-shaped (ungulate). New growth each season is added to the margin, resulting in a downward extension of the hymenium. This often results in a zonate appearance of the upper surface, that is, marked by concentric bands of color.

<i>Cortinarius anomalus</i> Species of fungus

Cortinarius anomalus, also known as the variable webcap, is a basidiomycete fungus of the genus Cortinarius. It produces a medium-sized mushroom with a grayish-brown cap up to 5 cm (2 in) wide, gray-violet gills and a whitish stem with pale yellow belts below. The mushroom grows solitarily or in scattered groups on the ground in deciduous and coniferous forests. It is found throughout the temperate zone of the northern hemisphere.

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

Hydnellum geogenium is a species of tooth fungus in the family Bankeraceae. It was described as new to science in 1852 by Elias Magnus Fries. Howard James Banker transferred it to the genus Hydnellum in 1913. The fungus is found in Europe and North America, where it grows in coniferous woods. It is inedible. H. geogenium is considered endangered in Switzerland. Fruitbodies of the fungus contain a yellow pigment compound called geogenin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hapalopilus nidulans</span> Species of fungus

Hapalopilus rutilans is a species of polypore fungus in the family Polyporaceae. Officially described in 1821, it was transferred to its current genus Hapalopilus six decades later. It is commonly known as the tender nesting polypore, purple dye polypore, or the cinnamon bracket. This widely distributed species is found on five continents. It grows on the fallen or standing dead wood of deciduous trees, in which it fruits singly, in groups, fused, or in overlapping clusters. Fruit bodies are in the form of kidney-shaped to semicircular, cinnamon-orange-brown brackets. The underside of the fruit body features a yellowish to brownish pore surface with tiny angular pores, from which spores are released.

<i>Serpula himantioides</i> Species of fungus

Serpula himantioides is a species of fungus that causes damage to timber referred to as dry rot. It is a basidiomycete in the order Boletales. It has been found on all continents except for Antarctica. Recent molecular work demonstrates that S. himantioides is a species complex including multiple cryptic lineages.

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

Hydnellum compactum is a tooth fungus in the family Bankeraceae. It is found in Europe, where it grows in deciduous forest, typically under beech. Fruit bodies of the fungus grow singly or in groups. They are top-shaped, with convex or flattened upper surfaces up to 10 cm (4 in) in diameter. The surface texture is initially felt-like before becoming pitted and rough in age. The stipe, roughly the same color as the cap, is solid and measures 2–4 cm (0.8–1.6 in) long by 1–3 cm (0.4–1.2 in) thick. On the fertile cap underside are white to purple-brown, curved spines up to 5 mm long. The color is whitish at first but gradually turns dark brown to blackish. Its spores measure 5.5–6 by 3.5–4.5 µm, and feature tubercles that sometimes have a sunken tip. It is considered endangered in Switzerland.

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

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

<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>Phellodon confluens</i>

Phellodon confluens, commonly known as the fused cork hydnum, is a species of tooth fungus in the family Bankeraceae. It was originally described in 1825 as Hydnum confluens by Christiaan Hendrik Persoon. Czech mycologist Zdenek Pouzar transferred it to the genus Phellodon in 1956. The fungus is found in Asia, Europe, and North America. It is considered vulnerable in Switzerland.

<i>Sarcodon thwaitesii</i> Species of fungus

Sarcodon thwaitesii is a species of tooth fungus in the family Bankeraceae. It is found in Asia, Europe, and New Zealand, where it fruits on the ground in mixed forest.

<i>Sarcodon leucopus</i> Species of fungus

Sarcodon leucopus is a species of tooth fungus in the family Bankeraceae. Found in Asia and Europe, it was described as new to science in 1825 by Christian Hendrik Persoon. Mycologists Rudolph Arnold Maas Geesteranus and John Axel Nannfeldt transferred it to the genus Sarcodon in 1969. Fruit bodies of the fungus have flattened to slightly depressed caps up to 20 cm (8 in) in diameter. The surface texture, initially finely felt-like, later cracks to form shiny scales. Its color is pale purplish-brown to dark brown. The stipe measures 4–8 cm (1.6–3.1 in) long by 2–6 cm (0.8–2.4 in) thick. Spines on the cap underside are up to 15 mm long and about 1 mm thick. The flesh has a disagreeable odor, and a bitter taste. Spores are roughly spherical, typically measuring 7.2–7.9 by 4.5–5.6 µm. The fungus is considered endangered in Switzerland.

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

Hydnellum fennicum is a species of tooth fungus in the family Bankeraceae. It was originally described by Petter Karsten in 1882 as a variety of Sarcodon scabrosus. Karsten promoted it to a distinct species in 1887. It is considered critically endangered in Switzerland. It is inedible.

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

Hydnellum scabrosum, also called bitter tooth or bitter hedgehog, is a species of tooth fungus in the family Bankeraceae.

References

  1. "GSD Species Synonymy: Phellodon melaleucus (Sw. ex Fr.) P. Karst". Species Fungorum. CAB International. Retrieved 2015-09-18.
  2. "Recommended English Names for Fungi in the UK" (PDF). British Mycological Society. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-16.
  3. Fries EM. (1815). "Observationes mycologicae" (in Latin). 1. Copenhagen: Gerhard Bonnier: 134.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  4. Karsten PA. (1881). "Enumeratio Hydnearum Fr. Fennicarum, systemate novo dispositarum". Revue mycologique, Toulouse (in Latin). 3 (9): 19.
  5. Senn-Irlet B, Bieri G, Egli S (2007). Lista Rossa Macromiceti. Lista Rossa delle specie minacciate in Svizzera. UV-0718-I (Report) (in Italian). Bern: Ufficio federale dell’ambiente.
  6. 1 2 Allen & Mellon Environmental Ltd. "Phellodon melaleucus – grey tooth". Northern Ireland Priority Species. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
  7. "Phellodon melaleucus (Sw. ex Fr.) P. Karst. - Grey Tooth". First Nature. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
  8. Dighton, J. (2009). "Mycorrhizae." Encyclopedia of Microbiology. pp. 153–162.