Auriscalpium vulgare
Auriscalpium vulgare is a species of fungus in the family Auriscalpiaceae of the order Russulales. It was first described in 1753 by Carl Linnaeus, who included it as a member of the tooth fungi genus Hydnum. Although common, its small size and nondescript colors lead it to be easily overlooked in the pine woods where it grows.
About Auriscalpium vulgare in brief
Auriscalpium vulgare is a species of fungus in the family Auriscalpiaceae of the order Russulales. It was first described in 1753 by Carl Linnaeus, who included it as a member of the tooth fungi genus Hydnum. British mycologist Samuel Frederick Gray recognized its uniqueness and in 1821 transferred it to a new genus, Aur fiscalpium. Although common, its small size and nondescript colors lead it to be easily overlooked in the pine woods where it grows. It is not generally considered edible because of its tough texture, but some historical literature says it used to be consumed in France and Italy. The dark brown cap of the small, spoon-shaped mushroom is covered with fine brown hairs, and reaches a diameter of up to 2 cm. On the underside of the cap are a crowded array of tiny tooth-shaped protrusions up to 3 mm long; they are initially whitish to purplish-pink before turning brown in age. High levels of humidity are essential for optimum fruit body development, and growth is inhibited by either too much or too little light. Fruit bodies change their geotropic response three times during their development, which helps ensure that the teeth ultimately point downward for optimum spore release. When grown in culture, the fungus can be induced to produce fruit bodies under suitable conditions.
The mushroom produces a white spore print out of roughly spherical spores. Despite vast differences in appearance and morphology, A. vulgare is related to such varied taxa as the gilled fungi of Lentinus, the poroid genus Albatrellus, and the coral-like Clavicorona, and fellow tooth fungus Hericium. The specific epithet means “common” and refers to a small, scoop-shaped instrument used to remove foreign matter from the ear-pick fungus. The fungus is widely distributed in Europe, Central America, North America, and temperate Asia, but it is rarely exceeding 55mm in height, with a small cap usually smaller than an fingernails in height. The fruit body is fibrous when fresh and becomes stiff when dry and becomes smaller when it’s older. The species is a type species of the widely distributed genus of eight species that it belongs to, Gloiodon strigosusGloiodon nigrescens, Various Lentinellus spp. and Gloodon bialoviesense. The generic name AuriscalPium is Latin for “ear pick” or “fool-stir-stool”; it was also referred to as the Hydnum-fir-cone Hydnum when it was still considered to be a members of that genus. The type species is A. vilgare, and it is the only species in the genus.
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This page is based on the article Auriscalpium vulgare published in Wikipedia (as of Oct. 29, 2020) and was automatically summarized using artificial intelligence.
