Hydnellum ferrugineum
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''Hydnellum ferrugineum'', commonly known as the mealy tooth or the reddish-brown corky spine fungus, 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 ...
. A widely distributed species, it is found in north Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America. The fungus fruits on the ground singly or in clusters in
conifer forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...
, usually in poor (low nutrient) or sandy soil.
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 ...
are somewhat
top A spinning top, or simply a top, is a toy with a squat body and a sharp point at the bottom, designed to be spun on its vertical axis, balancing on the tip due to the gyroscopic effect. Once set in motion, a top will usually wobble for a few ...
-shaped, measuring in diameter. Their velvety surfaces, initially white to pink, sometimes exude drops of red liquid. The lower surface of the fruit body features white to reddish-brown spines up to 6 mm long. Mature fruit bodies become dark reddish brown in color, and are then difficult to distinguish from other similar ''
Hydnellum ''Hydnellum'' is a genus of tooth fungi in the family Bankeraceae (order Thelephorales). Widely distributed in the Northern Hemisphere, the genus contains around 40 species. The fruitbodies of its members grow by slowly enveloping nearby bits o ...
'' species. ''H. ferrugineum'' forms a mat of mycelia in the
humus In classical soil science, humus is the dark organic matter in soil that is formed by the decomposition of plant and animal matter. It is a kind of soil organic matter. It is rich in nutrients and retains moisture in the soil. Humus is the Lati ...
and upper soil where it grows. The presence of the fungus changes the characteristics of the soil, making it more podzolized.


Taxonomy

The species was originally described scientifically by
Elias Magnus Fries Elias Magnus Fries (15 August 1794 – 8 February 1878) was a Swedish mycologist and botanist. Career Fries was born at Femsjö (Hylte Municipality), Småland, the son of the pastor there. He attended school in Växjö. He acquired ...
, who named it ''Hydnum ferrugineum'' in 1815. Its
taxonomic Taxonomy is the practice and science of categorization or classification. A taxonomy (or taxonomical classification) is a scheme of classification, especially a hierarchical classification, in which things are organized into groups or types. ...
history includes transfers to the genera ''Calodon'' by
Petter Karsten Petter Adolf Karsten (16 February 1834 – 22 March 1917) was a Finnish mycologist, the foremost expert on the fungi of Finland in his day, and known in consequence as the "father of Finnish mycology". Karsten was born in Merimasku near Turku, s ...
in 1881, and ''Phaeodon'' by Joseph Schröter in 1888. It was assigned its current binomial name by Karsten when he transferred it to its current genus, ''
Hydnellum ''Hydnellum'' is a genus of tooth fungi in the family Bankeraceae (order Thelephorales). Widely distributed in the Northern Hemisphere, the genus contains around 40 species. The fruitbodies of its members grow by slowly enveloping nearby bits o ...
'', in 1879. In 1964, Canadian 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 ...
described a hydnoid fungus found with '' Pinus resinosa'' in Michigan and ''
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 ...
'' in Nova Scotia. The fungus, which Harrison named ''Hydnellum pineticola'', is considered to be
synonymous A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are all ...
with ''Hydnellum ferrugineum'' by the nomenclatural database Index Fungorum. Harrison noted "The attempts to recognize European species in North American collections has only increased the confusion in this country, and until someone has worked critically in the field on both continents, it is better to make a recognizable grouping of our own population as that to guess that they may be the same as those that grow in Europe." Other taxa considered synonymous with ''H. ferrugineum'' are
Pierre Bulliard Pierre is a masculine given name. It is a French form of the name Peter. Pierre originally meant "rock" or "stone" in French (derived from the Greek word πέτρος (''petros'') meaning "stone, rock", via Latin "petra"). It is a translation ...
's 1791 ''Hydnum hybridum'' (including later synonyms ''Calodon hybridus'' (Bull.) Lindau, and ''Hydnellum hybridum'' (Bull.) Banker);
Louis Secretan Louis (Gabriel Abraam Samuel Jean) Secretan (15 September 1758 – 24 May 1839) was a Swiss lawyer, politician and mycologist. He published ''Mycologie Suisse'' in 1833, though the names are not regarded as valid unless republished by other author ...
's ''Hydnum carbunculus'' (1833); and
Howard James Banker Howard James Banker (April 19, 1866 – November 13, 1940) was an American mycology, mycologist. He received his PhD from Columbia University in 1908. Banker was an associate editor of the journal ''Mycologia'' starting from its establishment in 190 ...
's 1906 ''Hydnellum sanguinarium''. Banker explained the difficulty in identifying old ''Hydnellum'' specimens: "A considerable number of collections have had to be set aside, as in the dried state, with no notes on the fresh characters, it was impossible to decide with any degree of satisfaction whether the plants represented ''H. sanguinarium'', ''H. concrescens'', ''H. scrobiculatum'', or some undescribed form."
Common name In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often contrast ...
s given to the species include the "reddish-brown corky spine fungus", and the British Mycological Society-sanctioned name "mealy fungus". 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 ...
''ferrugineum'' is Latin for "rust-colored".


Description

The fruit bodies of ''Hydnellum ferrugineum'' are more or less top-shaped with caps that are in diameter. They are at first convex, then pulvinate (cushion-shaped), later flattening or becoming slightly depressed in the center. The cap surface of young fruit bodies is uneven, with a velvety to felted texture, and a whitish to pink color. It sometimes exudes blood-red drops of fluid in the depressions. The surface later becomes flesh-colored to dark reddish brown, but with wavy margin remaining whitish. The lower surface of the fruit body bears the
hymenium The hymenium is the tissue layer on the hymenophore of a fungal fruiting body where the cells develop into basidia or asci, which produce spores. In some species all of the cells of the hymenium develop into basidia or asci, while in others some ...
, the fertile
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 ...
-bearing tissue. It comprises a dense arrangement of white to reddish brown spines up to 6 mm long, hanging vertically downwards. The stout stipe measures long by thick, and is the same color as the cap. Fruit bodies have a "distinctly mealy" odor (similar to the smell of freshly ground flour), but are inedible. The flesh is reddish or purplish-brown with white flecks. Initially spongy and soft, it becomes tough and corky as the fruit body matures. In the stipe, the flesh can become blackish in age. Like other ''Hydnellum'' species, fruit body tissue is made of generative
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 that do not expand. This slows the growth of the fruit body, often enabling it to persist for several months. The fungus employs an indeterminate growth pattern, in which the fruit body formation begins from a vertical column of hyphae that eventually expand at the top to form the cap. Any solid objects encountered during growth, such as grass or twigs, can be enveloped by the expanding fruit body. Similarly, closely neighboring caps can fuse together during growth.Pegler, Roberts, Spooner (1997), p. 5. The broadly
ellipsoid An ellipsoid is a surface that may be obtained from a sphere by deforming it by means of directional scalings, or more generally, of an affine transformation. An ellipsoid is a quadric surface;  that is, a surface that may be defined as the ...
to roughly spherical spores are 5.5–7.5 by 4.5–5.5 
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 ...
. Their surfaces are covered with small rounded bumps. The basidia (spore-bearing cells) are narrowly club-shaped, four-spored, and measure 25–30 by 6–7.5 μm. The hyphae of the flesh are brownish with thin walls, and measure 4–6 μm; hyphae in the spines are thin-walled, septate, and sometimes branched, measuring 3.5–4.5 μm. The hyphae do not have clamp connections.


Similar species

'' Hydnellum peckii'' is similar in appearance, but has an acrid taste, and clamp connections in its hyphae. '' Hydnellum spongiosipes'' is readily confused with ''H. ferrugineum'', and several authors have historically considered the two species to be the same;
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 ...
studies, however, indicate that the two fungi are closely related, but distinct. In contrast with ''H. ferrugineum'', ''H. spongiosipes'' has a darker cap when young, darker flesh, and occurs in deciduous woods. Old fruit bodies of ''H. ferrugineum'' can be confused with those of '' Hydnellum concrescens''.


Habitat and distribution

''Hydnellum ferrugineum'' is found mainly in
coniferous woodland A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...
, often near pines, but occasionally with
spruce A spruce is a tree of the genus ''Picea'' (), a genus of about 35 species of coniferous evergreen trees in the family Pinaceae, found in the northern temperate and boreal (taiga) regions of the Earth. ''Picea'' is the sole genus in the subfami ...
. Fruit bodies have a preference for sandy soil with low levels of
organic matter Organic matter, organic material, or natural organic matter refers to the large source of carbon-based compounds found within natural and engineered, terrestrial, and aquatic environments. It is matter composed of organic compounds that have c ...
and nutrients, and grow singly or in clusters. They are more likely to be found in older-growth forests. The fungus occurs in North America, including Mexico. It is widespread but generally uncommon throughout Europe, although there may be local areas where it is common. In Britain, ''H. ferrugineum'' is provisionally classified as endangered, and is protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981; it was included as one of 14 species considered in the United Kingdom Biodiversity Action Plan for stipitate hydnoid fungi (i.e., hydnoid fungi with a cap and stipe) in 2004. The fungus is
protected Protection is any measure taken to guard a thing against damage caused by outside forces. Protection can be provided to physical objects, including organisms, to systems, and to intangible things like civil and political rights. Although th ...
in Montenegro. It has been collected in India and North Africa. The fungus forms a tough mat of mycelia in the
humus In classical soil science, humus is the dark organic matter in soil that is formed by the decomposition of plant and animal matter. It is a kind of soil organic matter. It is rich in nutrients and retains moisture in the soil. Humus is the Lati ...
and upper soil of pine forests. This mycelial mat grows larger with old trees, and can cover an area of several square meters. These areas generally lack dwarf shrubs and promote the vigorous growth of mosses;
reindeer lichen ''Cladonia rangiferina'', also known as reindeer cup lichen, reindeer lichen (cf. Sw. ''renlav'') or grey reindeer lichen, is a light-colored fruticose, cup lichen species in the family Cladoniaceae. It grows in both hot and cold climates in we ...
s often occur in the center of large mats. The presence of the fungus changes the nature of the soil, resulting in a thinner humus layer, decreased groundwater penetration, decreased
soil pH Soil pH is a measure of the acidity or basicity (alkalinity) of a soil. Soil pH is a key characteristic that can be used to make informative analysis both qualitative and quantitatively regarding soil characteristics. pH is defined as the neg ...
, and increases in the level of
root respiration In vascular plants, the roots are the organs of a plant that are modified to provide anchorage for the plant and take in water and nutrients into the plant body, which allows plants to grow taller and faster. They are most often below the sur ...
as well as the quantity of roots. The fungus also decreases the organic carbon and nitrogen concentrations. Soil with the mycelium becomes more podzolized than the surrounding soil. Similar to some other ''Hydnellum'' species, ''H. ferrugineum'' is sensitive to the increased nitrogen deposition resulting from
clear-cutting Clearcutting, clearfelling or clearcut logging is a forestry/ logging practice in which most or all trees in an area are uniformly cut down. Along with shelterwood and seed tree harvests, it is used by foresters to create certain types of fore ...
, a forestry practice used in some areas of Europe. The fungus forms an unusual type of
mycorrhiza   A mycorrhiza (from Greek μύκης ', "fungus", and ῥίζα ', "root"; pl. mycorrhizae, mycorrhiza or mycorrhizas) is a symbiotic association between a fungus and a plant. The term mycorrhiza refers to the role of the fungus in the plant ...
with Scots pine (''Pinus sylvestris'') in which the
ectomycorrhiza An ectomycorrhiza (from Greek ἐκτός ', "outside", μύκης ', "fungus", and ῥίζα ', "root"; pl. ectomycorrhizas or ectomycorrhizae, abbreviated EcM) is a form of symbiotic relationship that occurs between a fungal symbiont, or mycobi ...
appears normal at the leading edge of the mycelial mat, but leaves behind dead and atrophied roots at the trailing edge, showing saprophytic tendencies.


Bioactive compounds

''Hydnellum ferrugineum'' fruit bodies contain the pigments hydnuferrigin (dark violet) and hydnuferruginin (yellow), as well as small amounts of the polyphenol compound atromentin. Hydnuferrigin has a chemical structure that closely resembles that of
thelephoric acid Thelephoric acid is a terphenylquinone pigment that is found in several fungi, such as '' Omphalotus subilludens'' and ''Polyozellus multiplex''. Thelephoric acid has been shown to inhibit prolyl endopeptidase, an enzyme that has a role in proces ...
, a pigment found in other species of ''Hydnellum'' and '' Hydnum'', and they may originate from a common precursor compound.


References


Cited works

*


External links

* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q5954059 Inedible fungi Fungi described in 1815 Fungi of Africa Fungi of Asia Fungi of Europe Fungi of North America ferrugineum Taxa named by Elias Magnus Fries Fungus species