Xylaria polymorpha

Xylaria polymorpha
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Ascomycota
Class: Sordariomycetes
Order: Xylariales
Family: Xylariaceae
Genus: Xylaria
Species:
X. polymorpha
Binomial name
Xylaria polymorpha
(Pers.) Grev., (1824)
Synonyms

Coelorhopalon obovatum
Hypoxylon polymorphum
Penzigia obovata
Sphaeria obovatav
Sphaeria polymorpha
Xylaria corrugata
Xylaria obovata
Xylaria rugosa
Xylosphaera obovata
Xylosphaera polymorpha

Xylaria polymorpha
Mycological characteristics
Smooth hymenium
Hymenium attachment is not applicable
Stipe is bare
Spore print is black to blackish-brown
Ecology is saprotrophic
Edibility is inedible

Xylaria polymorpha, commonly known as dead man's fingers, is a cosmopolitan saprobic fungus. It is characterized by its elongated upright, clavate, or strap-like stromata poking up through the ground, much like fingers.

Taxonomy

The genus Xylaria contains about 100 species of cosmopolitan fungi. The specific epithet polymorpha means "many forms". As its name suggests, it has a variable but often club-shaped fruiting body (stroma) resembling burned wood.[1]

Description

Xylaria polymorpha in Petri dish alongside Penicillium polonicum.

Belonging to the phylum of fungus known as Ascomycetes (division Mycota) known as the sac fungi, they are characterized by a saclike structure, the ascus, which contains anything from four to eight ascospores in the sexual stage. The sac fungi are separated into subgroups based on whether asci arise singly or are borne in one of several types of fruiting structures, or ascocarps, and on the method of discharge of the ascospores. Unlike some species in this class, X. polymorpha is inedible.[2]

Often this fungus is found with a multitude of separate "digits", but at times the individual parts will be fused together. In maturity, the fruiting bodies can be 3–10 centimetres (1+1⁄4–4 inches) tall, externally colored black or brown,[3] sometimes with shades of blue or green. It is white on the inside, with a blackened dotted area all around. This blackened surrounding area is made up of tiny structures called perithecia. The perithecia hold a layer of asci which contain the ascospores. The asci elongate into the ostiole, and discharge the ascospores outward. The spore distribution is a lengthy process, sometimes taking several months to complete. The spore print is black.[3]

In springtime this fungus often produces a layer of white or bluish asexual spores called conidia, which grow on its surface and surrounding area.[4]

  • Xylaria polymorpha
    Xylaria polymorpha

Distribution and habitat

X. polymorpha is geographically distributed across all six inhabited continents.[5] It is a common inhabitant of forest and woodland areas, usually growing from the bases of rotting or injured tree stumps and decaying wood. It has also been known to colonize substrates like woody legume pods, petioles, and herbaceous stems.[4]

References

  1. ^ "Dead Man's Fingers". Missouri Department of Conservation. Retrieved 2023-12-06.
  2. ^ Phillips, Roger (2010). Mushrooms and Other Fungi of North America. Buffalo, NY: Firefly Books. p. 375. ISBN 978-1-55407-651-2.
  3. ^ a b Audubon (2023). Mushrooms of North America. Knopf. p. 81. ISBN 978-0-593-31998-7.
  4. ^ a b "Dead Man's Fingers". Wisconsin Horticulture. Retrieved 2023-12-06.
  5. ^ "dead man's fingers - Encyclopedia of Life". eol.org. Retrieved 2023-12-06.
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