''Biscogniauxia nummularia'' is a
plant pathogen in the family
Xylariaceae, known as the beech tarcrust.
The
specific epithet is derived from the Latin "
nummus
''Nummus'' ( el, νοῦμμος, ''noummos''), plural ''nummi'' () is a Latin term meaning "coin", but used technically by modern writers for a range of low-value copper coins issued by the Roman and Byzantine empires during Late Antiquity. It ...
" meaning a coin, referring to the often rounded and coin-like encrustations.
Description
The
fruit body
In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering.
Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particu ...
forms a thick and shiny black crust, on beech (''Fagus'') bark and is found at all times of the year. It is not edible.
[Phillips, Page 376] Young specimens are covered by a light brown outer layer. The spores are black to dark brown.
File:Detail of Biscogniauxia nummularia.JPG, Detail of the tarcrust's structure
File:Biscogniauxia nummularia.JPG, Beech tarcrust growth
File:Beech Tarcrust fungus.JPG, Encrustations on beech bark
Distribution
''Biscogniauxia nummularia'' is a common pathogen specific for
Beech trees, and has been recorded throughout Europe and Russia.
Environmental impact
The decline of European beech (''Fagus sylvatica'') in Sicily and Calabria (Italy) has been linked to ''B. nummularia'' and experiments have suggested that this ascomycete plays a primary pathogenic role under certain environmental conditions. It typically causes strip‐cankering and general wood decay.
References
Notes
Sources
* Phillips, Roger (2006). ''Mushrooms''. London : Pan MacMillan.
Fungi described in 1790
Fungi of Europe
Fungal tree pathogens and diseases
Xylariales
Taxa named by Jean Baptiste François Pierre Bulliard
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