Fungus Fact Friday

Author: Thomas Roehl

#066: Ophiocordyceps sinensis 1

Fungus Fact

#066: Ophiocordyceps sinensis

This fungus parasitizes caterpillars in the Himalayas and produces small, spike-like mushrooms. These mushrooms are highly prized for their supposed medicinal properties and have brought a lot of new wealth and new problems to the people living in the Himalayas.  Ophiocordyceps sinensis fruiting bodies are known as “Yartsa Gunbu” in Tibetan and “D­ōng Chóng Xià Cǎo” in Chinese, both of which translate to “winter worm, summer grass.”  The English names for the fungus are much less colorful: “Caterpillar Fungus” or (more recently) “Himalayan Viagra.”  sinensis (Fungi, Ascomycota, Sordariomycetes, Hypocreales, Ophiocordycipitaceae) is native to the meadows of the Himalayas and Tibetan plateau and can be found from 3,000m to 5,000m above sea level.  The parasitic fungus infects a variety of species of ghost moth larvae that live underground.  It initially infects the caterpillars in the late summer.  By winter, the fungus is ready to kill its host.  At that time, it...

#065: Trametes versicolor, the Turkey Tail [Archived] 3

Archived

#065: Trametes versicolor, the Turkey Tail [Archived]

Note: This is an archived post. Read the current version of this post here. It is easy to see how this mushroom got its common name: the upper surface of the fan-shaped fruiting body sports rings of color that vary from gray to brown to reddish orange. In fresh specimens, the edge of the mushroom is white, making it look remarkably like the displayed tail of a wild turkey.

#064: Endangered Fungal Species 0

Fungus Fact

#064: Endangered Fungal Species

We normally think of fungi as magical organisms that appear out of nowhere and resist all our attempts to get rid of them. Despite their mysterious nature, fungi are not impervious to environmental change.  The IUCN Red List currently contains five fungal species, ranging in threat assessment from vulnerable to critically endangered.  Given that there are an estimated 1.5 to 5 million fungal species worldwide, this may seem like good news for fungi.  However, I suspect that the low numbers of endangered fungi are due to the fact that it is almost impossible for us to monitor fungal populations.  Most fungi are only visible when they produce mushrooms and may not be found in the same place every year.  This makes it extremely difficult to track fungi over time by sight.  A new alternative is to test a soil sample for the presence of specific fungal genes.  This method, however,...

#063: Overview of Lichens, Part 2: Ecology and Impact 1

Fungus Fact

#063: Overview of Lichens, Part 2: Ecology and Impact

Because of their resilient nature, lichens are able to grow in almost any climate. Their primary environmental role is initial soil creation, but they also provide food and shelter for animals and are used in a variety of ways by humans.  In case you missed last week, here is a recap.  Lichens are composite organisms that contain a few different species living in a mutualistic relationship.  All lichens contain a mycobiont (a fungus) and a photobiont (a green alga and/or a cyanobacerium).  The mycobiont provides structure while the photobiont provides sugar through photosynthesis.

#062: Overview of Lichens, Part 1: Biology and Morphology 3

Fungus Fact

#062: Overview of Lichens, Part 1: Biology and Morphology

Lichens are composite organisms made up of two mutualistic, unrelated species: a photosynthetic organism and a fungus. I find that most people don’t really understand what lichens are, and that’s not surprising, considering the definition above.  OK, so we’re all familiar with lichens: the green/grey/orange/brown crusts that form on sidewalks/trees/rocks/etc.  But what, exactly, are they?  Most people would probably classify them as plants or, more specifically, as mosses.  This would seem reasonable, as they are often found growing alongside mosses and in other similar habitats.  However, this is not the case at all.  Lichens are actually composed of two or more separate species growing together as one organism.  This unusual type of organism is known as a “composite organism.”  Lichens always include one fungal partner (the mycobiont) and at least one photosynthetic partner (the photopiont).  The photobiont can be a green alga (kingdom Plantae) or a cyanobacterium (a.k.a. blue-green alga,...

#061: Ergot of Rye, Claviceps purpurea 2

Fungus Fact

#061: Ergot of Rye, Claviceps purpurea

Imagine for a moment that it is the late 17th century and you live in rural America.  Your day starts off like any other day: you wake up, have breakfast, and begin working on your farm.  However, before too long your daughter starts behaving oddly.  At first she just seems agitated, but her symptoms quickly escalate.  She convulses, hides under the table, yells unintelligibly, and complains of a prickly sensation in her arms and legs.  Terrified, you call for the town doctor.  The doctor has never seen a disease like this before and cannot find anything physically wrong with your daughter.  After a while, he comes up with the only possible cause: witchcraft.  Just then, one of your neighbors bursts in, looking for the doctor.  His daughter has been exhibiting the same symptoms!  You look at his frightened face and realize what you have to do: in order to protect...

#060: Urnula craterium, The Devil’s Urn 2

Fungus Fact

#060: Urnula craterium, The Devil’s Urn

The creepiest thing about this black cup fungus is its name. Unfortunately, there’s no good story to go along with the name.  If you’re a little disappointed about this, here is a story that I just made up: Some say that each mushroom holds a dead soul that has come back to haunt the world of the living.  Sometimes you can even see the soul rise out of the Devil’s Urn and disappear into the air.  Although this story is fictitious and tailored to fit the mood of the season, it does have some truth in it.  Ascomycetes, which include cup fungi like the Devil’s Urn, often forcibly discharge their spores in a small puff when the air around them is disturbed (by, for example, picking it up or blowing on it).  This helps the fungus get its spores into moving air, which can spread the spores across great distances. ...

#059: Tremella mesenterica, Witch’s Butter [Archived] 1

Archived

#059: Tremella mesenterica, Witch’s Butter [Archived]

Note: This is an archived post. You can find the current version of this post here. Legend has it that witches use this fungus to cast hexes. When this fungus appears on your gate or door, you have certainly been the victim of a witch’s evil spell.  The only way to counter the hex is to pierce the fungus with straight pins, allowing the inner juices to drain and thus killing the fungus and the spell.  Unfortunately for those who believe this superstition, this method probably doesn’t work too well for two reasons.  First, the mushroom is specifically designed to survive repeated dehydration and rehydration.  Second, the main body of the fungus is still living inside the wood.  Unless you replace the wood you will probably find the mushroom repeatedly fruiting from the same place.

#058: Cordyceps militaris: the Scarlet Caterpillar Club 1

Fungus Fact

#058: Cordyceps militaris: the Scarlet Caterpillar Club

Cordyceps militaris is a fascinating fungus that infects caterpillar and moth larvae. What’s the creepiest thing about this fungus?  It mummifies its insect victims.  I’ve been told that it also makes its subterranean victims crawl to the surface so that it can more effectively release its spores, but I can’t find anything online to back that up.  Instead, everyone seems to want me to buy militaris (more on that later).  The Scarlet Caterpillar Club infects the larvae and pupae of a variety of caterpillars and moths.  Before they emerge as adults, the host insects live either underground or in decaying wood, so C. militaris mushrooms often look like a generic club fungus or earth tongue look-alike.  If you dig beneath the surface, however, you will find the mummified remains of the host insect, which provide the nutrients that C. militaris needs to produce spores.  Like other members of the Cordyceps...

#057: The Witch’s Hat, Hygrocybe conica [Archived] 1

Archived

#057: The Witch’s Hat, Hygrocybe conica [Archived]

Note: This is an archived post. You can find the current version of this post here. Welcome back to creepy fungus month!  I’m starting off this month with a mushroom that has a creepy name but is always fun to find: The Witch’s Hat.  Hygrocybe conica gets its common name from the conic shape of its cap, its orange to red color, and its proclivity for bruising black.  The Witch’s Hat is a small mushroom whose cap is 1 to 4cm across (rarely up to 6cm) and whose stipe is 3 to 8cm tall.  Young specimens of this mushroom truly are beautiful.  The bright, red to orange cap nicely compliments the lighter, orange to yellow stipe.  When young, the cap is conical with a curved top and edges that curve slightly inward.  The cap opens up as the mushroom matures to become broadly conical to convex, although it retains a...