''Chlorociboria aeruginascens'' is a

saprobic Saprotrophic nutrition or lysotrophic nutrition is a process of chemoheterotrophic extracellular digestion involved in the processing of decayed (dead or waste) organic matter. It occurs in saprotrophs, and is most often associated with fungi (f ...

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.

Taxonomy

The

specific epithet In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

is derived from the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

roots ''aerug''- ("blue-green") and ''ascens'' ("becoming"). Some authors have used a variant spelling of the specific epithet, ''aeruginescens''.Seaver FJ. (1936). Photographs and descriptions of cup-fungi-XXIV. ''Chlorociboria''. ''

Mycologia ''Mycologia'' is a peer-reviewed scientific journal that publishes papers on all aspects of the fungi, including lichens. It first appeared as a bimonthly journal in January 1909, published by the New York Botanical Garden under the editorship of W ...

'' 28: 390–394.Seaver FJ. (1951). ''The North American Cup-Fungi (Inoperculates)''. New York. Pp. 1–428.

Description

This species has apothecia (cup-shaped

ascocarp An ascocarp, or ascoma (), is the fruiting body ( sporocarp) of an ascomycete phylum fungus. It consists of very tightly interwoven hyphae and millions of embedded asci, each of which typically contains four to eight ascospores. Ascocarps are m ...

s) that are usually attached laterally, often less than 0.5 cm 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 Trichomes (); ) are fine outgrowths or appendages on plants, algae, lichens, and certain protists. They are of diverse structure and function. Examples are hairs, glandular hairs, scales, and papillae. A covering of any kind of hair on a plant ...

surface composed of hair-like, straight or sometimes coiled, smooth

hypha A hypha (; ) is a long, branching, filamentous structure of a fungus, oomycete, or actinobacterium. In most fungi, hyphae are the main mode of vegetative growth, and are collectively called a mycelium. Structure A hypha consists of one or ...

e. The stipe is typically less than 3 mm long, with a central or eccentric attachment to the apothecia.

Spore In biology, a spore is a unit of sexual or asexual reproduction that may be adapted for dispersal and for survival, often for extended periods of time, in unfavourable conditions. Spores form part of the life cycles of many plants, algae, f ...

s are roughly spindle-shaped (

fusiform Fusiform means having a spindle-like shape that is wide in the middle and tapers at both ends. It is similar to the lemon-shape, but often implies a focal broadening of a structure that continues from one or both ends, such as an aneurysm on a b ...

), smooth, and 5–8 by 0.7–2.8

µm The micrometre ( international spelling as used by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures; SI symbol: μm) or micrometer (American spelling), also commonly known as a micron, is a unit of length in the International System of Unit ...

. The spore print is white. Apothecia grow on bark-free wood, especially

oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

, part of which at least is stained greenish by the

mycelium Mycelium (plural mycelia) is a root-like structure of a fungus consisting of a mass of branching, thread-like hyphae. Fungal colonies composed of mycelium are found in and on soil and many other substrate (biology), substrates. A typical single ...

. The abundant

paraphyses Paraphyses are erect sterile filament-like support structures occurring among the reproductive apparatuses of fungi, ferns, bryophytes and some thallophytes. The singular form of the word is paraphysis. In certain fungi, they are part of the fe ...

, which may be entwined, are 55–95 by 1.5–2 µm,

filiform Filiform, thread or filament like, can refer to: *Filiform, a common term used in botany to describe a thread-like shape *Filiform, or filiform catheter, a medical device whose component parts or segments are all cylindrical and more or less uni ...

, and

septate In biology, a septum (Latin for ''something that encloses''; plural septa) is a wall, dividing a cavity or structure into smaller ones. A cavity or structure divided in this way may be referred to as septate. Examples Human anatomy * Interatri ...

with an unswollen, unbent apex that often extends beyond the level of the asci tips. The species is distinguished from the closely related ''C. aeruginosa'' by having smaller spores. Although some authors have in the past failed to recognize any appreciable differences between the two species, Ramamurthi and colleagues noteRamamurthi CS, Korf RP, Batra LR. (1957). A revision of the North American species of ''Chlorociboria'' (Sclerotiniaceae). ''

'' 49(6): 854–863. 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.

"Green oak"

Cheb relief intarsia - Allegories of months 3

Chlorociboria-wood-Coatings-07-00188-g001

This species contains a

quinone The quinones are a class of organic compounds that are formally "derived from aromatic compounds

uch as benzene or naphthalene Uch ( pa, ; ur, ), frequently referred to as Uch Sharīf ( pa, ; ur, ; ''"Noble Uch"''), is a historic city in the southern part of Pakistan's Punjab province. Uch may have been founded as Alexandria on the Indus, a town founded by Alexand ...

by conversion of an even number of –CH= groups into –C(=O)– groups with any necessary rearrangement of double ...

pigment A pigment is a colored material that is completely or nearly insoluble in water. In contrast, dyes are typically soluble, at least at some stage in their use. Generally dyes are often organic compounds whereas pigments are often inorganic compo ...

called xylindein, a dimeric naphthoquinone derivative, whose structure was determined by spectroscopic means in the 1960s and later confirmed by

X-ray crystallography X-ray crystallography is the experimental science determining the atomic and molecular structure of a crystal, in which the crystalline structure causes a beam of incident X-rays to diffract into many specific directions. By measuring the angles ...

. 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 Tunbridge ware is a form of decoratively inlaid woodwork, typically in the form of boxes, that is characteristic of Tonbridge and the spa town of Royal Tunbridge Wells in Kent in the 18th and 19th centuries. The decoration typically consists of a ...

and

parquetry Parquet (; French for "a small compartment") is a geometric mosaic of wood pieces used for decorative effect in flooring. Parquet patterns are often entirely geometrical and angular—squares, triangles, lozenges—but may contain curves. T ...

. The use of this wood, known as "green oak", goes back to 15th century Italy, where it was used in

intarsia Intarsia is a form of wood inlaying that is similar to marquetry. The start of the practice dates from before the seventh century AD. The technique of intarsia inlays sections of wood (at times with contrasting ivory or bone, or mother-of-pear ...

panels made by Fra Giovanni da Veroni.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. ''Holzforschung'' 46(3): 225–232.

References

External links

Index Fungorum
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1773888 Helotiaceae Fungi of Europe Fungi described in 1957 Inedible fungi