Tremellodendropsis tuberosa

Tremellodendropsis tuberosa
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Fungi
Division:	Basidiomycota
Class:	Agaricomycetes
Order:	Tremellodendropsidales
Family:	Tremellodendropsidaceae
Genus:	Tremellodendropsis
Species:	T. tuberosa
Binomial name
Tremellodendropsis tuberosa (Grev.) D.A.Crawford (1954)
Synonyms
Merisma tuberosumGrev. (1825) Thelephora tuberosa(Grev.) Fr. (1828) Stereum tuberosum(Grev.) Massee (1892) Aphelaria tuberosa(Grev.) Corner (1950)

Tremellodendropsis tuberosa
Mycological characteristics
	Smooth hymenium
	No distinct cap
	Hymenium attachment is irregular or not applicable
	Stipe is bare
	Spore print is white
	Edibility is unknown

Tremellodendropsis tuberosa, commonly known as the ashen coral, ^[1] is a species of coral fungus in the family Tremellodendropsidaceae found in Eurasia and the Americas.

Taxonomy

The species was first described as Merisma tuberosum by Scottish mycologist Robert Kaye Greville in 1825. ^[2] D.A. Crawford transferred it to its current genus Tremellodendropsis in 1954, and made it the type species. It is classified in the subgenus Tremellodendropsis, which contains species with basidia that are partially partitioned (septate) at their apices; other species in this subgenus include Tremellodendropsis pusio and T. flagelliformis. ^[3]

Description

The fruit body is a coral-shaped structure ranging in height from 3 to 6 cm (1+1⁄8 to 2+3⁄8 in) and up to 5 cm (2 in) in diameter. The arms can be either unbranched, or sparsely branched, and the tips are rounded and frequently flattened. The fruit body is whitish, but tends to turn brownish in maturity. The tough stem is white, as is the flesh, and is covered with whitish mycelia at the base. ^{[4] [5]}

In deposit, the spores are white. Spores are elongated-elliptical or spindle-shaped, have a smooth surface, and measure 13–20 by 4.5–6.5  μm. The basidia (spore-bearing cells) often have longitudinal partitions at their apices. ^[5]

Ramaria pallida looks superficially similar, but is light brown except for the whitish stalk base. ^[4]

Habitat and distribution

The fruit bodies grow on the ground in woods or clearings, singly or in groups. ^[5] The fungus is known to occur in north temperate regions, including Europe ^[1] and North America, ^[5] and it is also found in South Brazil and Borneo. ^[3]

References

1. Buczacki, S.; Shields, C.; Ovenden, D. (2012). Collins Fungi Guide: The Most Complete field Guide to the Mushrooms and toadstools of Britain & Ireland. HarperCollins UK. p. 2262. ISBN   978-0-00-741343-0.
2. "Tremellodendropsis tuberosa (Grev.) D.A. Crawford 1954". MycoBank. International Mycological Association. Retrieved 2012-10-21.
3. Crawford, D.A. (1954). "Studies in New Zealand Clavariaceae. I" (PDF). Transactions of the Royal Society of New Zealand. 82: 617–631.
4. Davis, R.M.; Sommer, R.; Menge, J.A. (2012). Field Guide to Mushrooms of Western North America. University of California Press. pp. 302–303. ISBN   978-0-520-95360-4.
5. Arora, David (1986) [1979]. Mushrooms Demystified: A Comprehensive Guide to the Fleshy Fungi (2nd ed.). Berkeley, California: Ten Speed Press. pp. 643–44. ISBN   978-0-89815-170-1.

External links

• Tremellodendropsis tuberosa in Index Fungorum