Foxfire, also called fairy fire and

chimpanzee The chimpanzee (''Pan troglodytes''), also known as simply the chimp, is a species of great ape native to the forest and savannah of tropical Africa. It has four confirmed subspecies and a fifth proposed subspecies. When its close relative th ...

fire, is the

bioluminescence Bioluminescence is the production and emission of light by living organisms. It is a form of chemiluminescence. Bioluminescence occurs widely in marine vertebrates and invertebrates, as well as in some fungi, microorganisms including some b ...

created by some species of

fungi 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 ...

present in decaying wood. The bluish-green glow is attributed to a

luciferase Luciferase is a generic term for the class of oxidative enzymes that produce bioluminescence, and is usually distinguished from a photoprotein. The name was first used by Raphaël Dubois who invented the words ''luciferin'' and ''luciferase'', ...

, an oxidative enzyme, which emits light as it reacts with a

luciferin Luciferin (from the Latin ''lucifer'', "light-bearer") is a generic term for the light-emitting compound found in organisms that generate bioluminescence. Luciferins typically undergo an enzyme-catalyzed reaction with molecular oxygen. The result ...

. The phenomenon has been known since ancient times, with its source determined in 1823.

Description

Foxfire is the

created by some species of

present in decaying wood. It occurs in a number of species, including ''

Panellus stipticus ''Panellus stipticus'', commonly known as the bitter oyster, the astringent panus, the luminescent panellus, or the stiptic fungus, is a species of fungus in the family Mycenaceae, and the type species of the genus '' Panellus''. A common and w ...

'', ''

Omphalotus olearius ''Omphalotus olearius'',Singer R (1948) In: ''Pap. Mich. Acad. Sci.'' 32: 133 ('1946'). commonly known as the jack-o'-lantern mushroom, is a poisonous Orange (color), orange gilled mushroom that to an untrained eye appears similar to some Cantha ...

'' and ''

Omphalotus nidiformis ''Omphalotus nidiformis'', or ghost fungus, is a gilled basidiomycete mushroom most notable for its bioluminescent properties. It is known to be found primarily in southern Australia and Tasmania, but was reported from India in 2012 and 2018. T ...

''. The bluish-green glow is attributed to

, which emits light after oxidation catalyzed by the enzyme

. Some believe that the light attracts insects to spread spores, or acts as a warning to hungry animals, like the bright colors exhibited by some poisonous or unpalatable animal species. Although generally very dim, in some cases foxfire is bright enough to read by.

History

The oldest recorded documentation of foxfire is from 382 B.C., by

Aristotle Aristotle (; grc-gre, Ἀριστοτέλης ''Aristotélēs'', ; 384–322 BC) was a Greek philosopher and polymath during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. Taught by Plato, he was the founder of the Peripatetic school of phil ...

, whose notes refer to a light that, unlike fire, was cold to the touch. The Roman thinker

Pliny the Elder Gaius Plinius Secundus (AD 23/2479), called Pliny the Elder (), was a Roman author, naturalist and natural philosopher, and naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and a friend of the emperor Vespasian. He wrote the encyclopedic '' ...

also mentioned glowing wood in olive groves. Foxfire was used to illuminate the needles on the barometer and the compass of ''

Turtle Turtles are an order of reptiles known as Testudines, characterized by a special shell developed mainly from their ribs. Modern turtles are divided into two major groups, the Pleurodira (side necked turtles) and Cryptodira (hidden necked tu ...

'', an early submarine. This is commonly thought to have been suggested by

Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin ( April 17, 1790) was an American polymath who was active as a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher, and political philosopher. Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the leading inte ...

; a reading of the correspondence from

Benjamin Gale Benjamin Gale (December 14, 1715May 6, 1790) was an American physician, scientist, agriculturist, inventor and political polemicist who was known for his political protests against the New Lights, which resulted in a fifteen year pamphlet war ...

, however, shows that Benjamin Franklin was only consulted for alternative forms of lighting when the cold temperatures rendered the foxfire inactive. After many more literary references to foxfire by early scientists and naturalists, its cause was discovered in 1823. The glow emitted from wooden support beams in mines was examined, and it was found that the luminescence came from fungal growth. The "fox" in ''foxfire'' may derive from the Old French word , meaning "false", rather than from the name of the animal.Smythe Palmer, Abram, ''The Folk and Their Word-lore: An Essay on Popular Etymologies'' (1904) The association of foxes with such fires is widespread, however, and occurs also in

Japanese folklore Japanese folklore encompasses the informally learned folk traditions of Japan and the Japanese people as expressed in its oral traditions, customs, and material culture. In Japanese, the term is used to describe folklore. The academic study ...

References

External links

{{Wiktionary
Foxfire: Bioluminescence in the ForestPDF file
by Dr. Kim D. Coder, University of Georgia 8/99

at Mykoweb Bioluminescence Bioluminescent fungi Mycology

Description

History

See also

References

External links