''Dacryopinax spathularia'' is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

fungus A fungus ( : fungi or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, separately from th ...

in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Dacrymycetaceae The Dacrymycetaceae are a family of fungi in the order Dacrymycetales. Species are saprotrophs and occur on dead wood. Their distribution is worldwide. Basidiocarps (fruit bodies) are ceraceous to gelatinous, often yellow to orange, and variousl ...

Basidiocarps In fungi, a basidiocarp, basidiome, or basidioma () is the sporocarp (fungi), sporocarp of a basidiomycota, basidiomycete, the Multicellular organism, multicellular structure on which the spore-producing hymenium is borne. Basidiocarps are chara ...

(fruit bodies) are gelatinous, frequently

spathulate This glossary of botanical terms is a list of definitions of terms and concepts relevant to botany and plants in general. Terms of plant morphology are included here as well as at the more specific Glossary of plant morphology and Glossary o ...

(spoon-shaped), and grow on wood, mainly in the tropics and subtropics. The fungus is edible and is commercially cultivated for use as an additive in the food industry.

Taxonomy

The species was first described as ''Merulius spathularius'' by German-American

mycologist Mycology is the branch of biology concerned with the study of fungus, fungi, including their genetics, genetic and biochemistry, biochemical properties, their Taxonomy (biology), taxonomy and ethnomycology, their use to humans, including as a so ...

Lewis David de Schweinitz Lewis David de Schweinitz (13 February 1780 – 8 February 1834) was a German-American botanist and mycologist. He is considered by some the "Father of North American Mycology", but also made significant contributions to botany. Education B ...

based on a collection from North Carolina in the United States. It was moved to the newly created

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

Dacryopinax ''Dacryopinax'' is a genus of fungi in the family Dacrymycetaceae. The genus is widespread, especially in tropical regions, and contains about 15 species. ''Dacryopinax'' was circumscribed by American mycologist George Willard Martin in 1948. A t ...

'' by American mycologist G.W. Martin in 1948 in recognition of its fruit bodies' frequently spathulate shape. Microscopically, however, the species is not typical of the genus and this has been confirmed by recent

molecular A molecule is a group of two or more atoms held together by attractive forces known as chemical bonds; depending on context, the term may or may not include ions which satisfy this criterion. In quantum physics, organic chemistry, and bioche ...

research, based on

cladistic Cladistics (; ) is an approach to biological classification in which organisms are categorized in groups (" clades") based on hypotheses of most recent common ancestry. The evidence for hypothesized relationships is typically shared derived char ...

analysis of

DNA sequences A nucleic acid sequence is a succession of bases signified by a series of a set of five different letters that indicate the order of nucleotides forming alleles within a DNA (using GACT) or RNA (GACU) molecule. By convention, sequences are usua ...

. ''Dacryopinax spathularia'' is not closely related to the

type species In zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the species that contains the biological type specimen ...

(''

Dacryopinax elegans ''Dacryopinax elegans'' is a species of jelly fungus in the family Dacrymycetaceae. It was originally formally described as ''Guepinia elegans'' by Miles Berkeley and Moses Ashley Curtis in 1849. George Willard Martin George Willard Martin (Oc ...

'') and belongs elsewhere. It has been placed in a widely defined '' Dacrymyces'', but this latter genus still awaits a comprehensive revision.

Description

The fruit bodies of ''Dacryopinax spathularia'' are gregarious, often clustered, and have a distinct stipe (stem) and fertile head that is flattened and fan-like (spathulate) or less commonly

palmate The following is a list of terms which are used to describe leaf morphology in the description and taxonomy of plants. Leaves may be simple (a single leaf blade or lamina) or compound (with several leaflets). The edge of the leaf may be regular o ...

. They are tough-gelatinous to cartilaginous and yellow to orange, usually tall and between 0.3–1.2 cm wide. Microscopically, the species has cylindrical

basidiospores 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 pro ...

that become septate at maturity, measuring 7–11.5 by 3.5–4.5 μm.

Habitat and distribution

''Dacryopinax spathularia'' grows on both rotting coniferous and broadleaf wood; it has even been reported to grow on

polyester Polyester is a category of polymers that contain the ester functional group in every repeat unit of their main chain. As a specific material, it most commonly refers to a type called polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Polyesters include natural ...

rugs. It is widely distributed in Asia, Africa, Australia and the Pacific, North and South America, but is not known from Europe.

Economic Usage

''Dacryopinax spathularia'' is

edible An edible item is any item that is safe for humans to eat. "Edible" is differentiated from "eatable" because it does not indicate how an item tastes, only whether it is fit to be eaten. Nonpoisonous items found in nature – such as some mushroo ...

. The species is commercially cultivated to produce long-chain

glycolipids Glycolipids are lipids with a carbohydrate attached by a glycosidic (covalent) bond. Their role is to maintain the stability of the cell membrane and to facilitate cellular recognition, which is crucial to the immune response and in the connec ...

used as a natural preservative in soft drinks. The process involves fermentation of ''Dacryopinax spathularia'' using glucose as a carbon source in aerobic submerged culture. In China fruit bodies are called ''guìhuā'ěr'' ( 桂花耳, literally "

sweet osmanthus ''Osmanthus fragrans'' (lit. "fragrant osmanthus"; Chinese: , ''guìhuā'', and , ''mùxī''; ; Shanghainese: ''kue35 ho53''; ja, 木犀, ''mokusei''; hi, , ''silang''), variously known as sweet osmanthus, sweet olive, tea olive, and fr ...

ear," referring to their resemblance to osmanthus flowers). They are sometimes included in a vegetarian dish called

Buddha's delight Buddha's delight, often transliterated as ''Luóhàn zhāi'', ''lo han jai'', or ''lo hon jai'', is a vegetarian dish well known in Chinese and Buddhist cuisine. It is sometimes also called ''Luóhàn cài'' (). The dish is traditionally enjoy ...

References

External links

{{Taxonbar, from=Q5207769 Dacrymycetes Edible fungi Fungi in cultivation Fungi of Asia Fungi of South America Fungi of North America Fungi of Australia Fungi of Africa Fungi of Colombia Fungi described in 1822 Taxa named by Lewis David de Schweinitz