''Sarcodon ustalis'' is a species of

tooth fungus The hydnoid fungi are a group of fungi in the Basidiomycota with basidiocarps (fruit bodies) producing spores on pendant, tooth-like or spine-like projections. They are colloquially called tooth fungi. Originally such fungi were referred to the g ...

in the family

Bankeraceae The ''Bankeraceae'' are a family of fungi in the order Thelephorales. Taxa are terrestrial, and ectomycorrhizal with plant species in families such as Pinaceae or Fagaceae. The family was circumscribed by Marinus Anton Donk in 1961. According ...

. It was described as new to science in 1964 by mycologist

Kenneth A. Harrison Kenneth A. Harrison (1901 – November 5, 1991) was a Canadian mycologist. He was for many years a plant pathologist at what is now the Atlantic Food and Horticulture Research Centre in Nova Scotia. After retirement, he contributed to the taxonomy ...

, who initially called it ''Hydnum ustalie''. He transferred it to the genus ''

Sarcodon ''Sarcodon'' is a genus of fungi in the family Bankeraceae, which is part of the order Thelephorales The Thelephorales are an order of fungi in the class Agaricomycetes. The order includes corticioid and hydnoid fungi, together with a few ...

'' in 1984. It is found in Michigan, where it fruits on the ground in groups under Jack Pine (''

Pinus banksiana Jack pine (''Pinus banksiana'') is an eastern North American pine. Its native range in Canada is east of the Rocky Mountains from the Mackenzie River in the Northwest Territories to Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia, and the north-central and ...

''). The

type Type may refer to: Science and technology Computing * Typing, producing text via a keyboard, typewriter, etc. * Data type, collection of values used for computations. * File type * TYPE (DOS command), a command to display contents of a file. * Ty ...

was collected by Ingrid Bartelli in Marquette, Michigan. The fungus makes

fruit bodies The sporocarp (also known as fruiting body, fruit body or fruitbody) of fungi is a multicellular structure on which spore-producing structures, such as basidia or asci, are borne. The fruitbody is part of the sexual phase of a fungal life cyc ...

with flat to depressed caps measuring in diameter, supported by a short stipe measuring long by thick. The spines on the underside of the cap are measure 3–6 mm long. Initially white, they become brownish in age. The flesh has a "disagreeable" odor, with a "hint of cinnamon". Spores of ''S. ustalis'' are roughly spherical, covered in small, coarse warts (tubercules) up to 1.5

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 ...

, and measure 6.5–8 by 5.5–7 μm. The color of the spore print ranges from avellaneous (dull grayish brown) to "pale dingy cinnamon buff".

References

External links

* Fungi described in 1964 Fungi of the United States ustalis Fungi without expected TNC conservation status Fungus species {{Agaricomycetes-stub