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Laricifomes officinalis; Quinine Fungus   

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Laricifomes officinalis
Laricifomes officinalis
Quinine Fungus 		Photographer: Dr. Amadej Trnkoczy

ID: 0000 0000 1118 0797 (2018-11-19)

Copyright © 2018 Dr. Amadej Trnkoczy
 
INFORMATION PROVIDED WITH THE PHOTO
  • date of photo  Aug 18, 2017
  • latitude 46.40000   longitude 13.50000     View on Google Maps.
  • location   Zajzera (Valbruna valley), West Julian Alps (Friuli–Venezia Giulia, Italy)
  • notes   Coordinates are given approximate only. - Slo.: mecesnova kresiljača, mecesnova goba - Fomitopsis officinalis (Vill.) Bondartsev & Singer - Habitat: Old Larix decidua stands; steep mountain slope, north aspect; partly sunny; calcareous, skeletal ground; average precipitations about 2.000 -2.500 mm/year, elevation 1.750 m (5.600 feet), alpine phytogeographical region. - Substratum: old Larix decidua tree. - Comments: Laricifomes officinalis is a rare, endangered and protected species in Slovenia as well as in most of Europe. In the Slovenian fungi data base (Ref.: 6) only three occurrences are stated. However, lately more of them have become known (Ref.: 3), yet, still not much more than ten to fifteen. The fungus is more frequent in North America and North and Far East Asia. The main reason that it almost disappeared from Europe seems intensive collection of its fruit bodies. Laricifomes officinalis is a famous medical fungus having almost miraculous healing properties, known to men for millennia. Antibiotic activities and antiviral activity of the fruiting body is scientifically proven. It is particularly respected in China and Japan. No wander, it was collected by individuals as well as commercially for pharmaceutical industry without limits. - Its main substance is agaricin, which is nowadays produced synthetically. This released the pressure to collect it greatly at least from the commercial side. However, apart from agaricin the fungus contains several other biologically active compounds like carotenoids, sterols, unsaturated fatty acids, bioflavonoids and vitamins of B, P, E and A groups (Ref.: 5). That is probably the reason that individual collectors still endanger the species. For example, in Slovenia, after publishing some of newly found locations of the fungus in 2011 several of them have been vandalized in relatively short time. - In Europe Laricifomes officinalis grows exclusively on very large and old Larix decidua trees (in America also on other conifers). Such trees have become very rare. They still grow on hardly accessible places in the mountains near tree level where human impact on nature is still at minimum. Scarcity of adequate substratum additionally contributes to sharp decline of Laricifomes officinalis. Successful experiments how to artificially inoculate healthy Larix decidua trees with its mycelium and how to grow it in an artificial media are reported (Ref. 4, 5). This may eventually help in preservation of this species from extinction. It's surprising that Index Fungorum and MycoBank still keep Fomitopsis officinalis as a 'current' name of this fungus in spite of several molecular studies made between 2005 and 2016, which all have proven that Laricifomes officinalis forms a separate lineage distant from Fomitopsis and represents a separate monophyletic genus (Ref.: 8). - Listed in: Uredba o zavarovanih prostoživečih vrstah gliv, Uradni list RS, št. 58/2011 (Regulation of protected wild fungi, Official Gazette of Republic Slovenia, no. 58/2011), (2011). On Rdeči seznam gliv v Sloveniji, Uradni list RS (Red list of fungi of Slovenia, Offitial Gazerte of Republic Slovenia), št./no. 42/2010 z dne/from 28. 5. 2010, marked by 'E' representing a critically endangered species. - Ref.: (1) Fungus found by and personal communication with Dr. Igor Dakskobler, Scientific Research Center of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts. (2) J. Breitenbach, F. Kraenzlin, Eds., Fungi of Switzerland, Vol.2., Verlag Mykologia (1986), p 316. (3) I. Dakskobler, A. Seliškar, G. Podgornik, Razširjenost in ekologija vrste Laricifomes officinalis (Vill.) Kotl. & Pouzar v Julijskih Alpah (Slovenija) (Distribution and ecology of Laricifomes officinalis (Vill.) Kotl. & Pouzar in the Julian Alps Slovenia), GozdV 69. 3 (2011); available at: https://www.dlib.si/details/URN:NBN:SI:DOC-5ITWR4MN/?query=%27contributor%3DPodgornik%2C+Gregor%27&pageSize=25 (accessed Nov. 12. 2018) (4) A. Gregori1, B. Piškur , M. Gregori, D. Jurc, Spread of the fungus Fomitopsis officinalis inoculated in stems of living larch in Slovenia; available at: https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/7f72/90c2031ddc886158844d564b331113fda798.pdf (accessed Nov. 18. 2018) (5) M. L. Sidorenko and V. A. Semal, Production of Submerged Mycelium of Laricifomes officinalis (Vill) Kotl. et Pouzar, World Applied Sciences Journal 23 (5), (2013), p 685; available at: https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/c761/ac8d3bf3ece6ba1fe8b7390394a6f76740a7.pdf (accessed Nov. 17. 2018). (6) N. Ogris (ed), Boletus informaticus, Slovenian Forestry Institute http://www.zdravgozd.si/bi_index.aspx (accessed Nov. 17. 2018) (7) A. Bernicchia, Polyporaceaes l., Fungi Europaei, Vol. 10., Edizioni Candusso (2005), p 222. (8) Mei-Ling Han, Yuan Yuan Chen, Lu-Lu Shen, Jie Song, Josef Vlasák, Yu-Cheng Dai, Bao-Kai Cui, Taxonomy and phylogeny of the brown-rot fungi: Fomitopsis and its related genera, Fungal diversity (2016).
  • camera   Sony ILCE6000 / Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar E 16-70 mm/f4
  • contributor's ID #  Bot_1080/2017_DSC8580
  • photo category: Fungi - fungi

    • MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS FUNGUS
  • common names   Quinine Fungus, Larch Fungus (photographer)
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    Using this photo   The thumbnail photo (128x192 pixels) on this page may be freely used for personal or academic purposes without prior permission under the Fair Use provisions of US copyright law as long as the photo is clearly credited with © 2018 Dr. Amadej Trnkoczy. For other uses, or if you have questions, contact Dr. Amadej Trnkoczy amadej.trnkoczy[AT]siol.net. (Replace the [AT] with the @ symbol before sending an email.)


     

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