Ascocoryne sarcoides
| Ascocoryne sarcoides | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Ascomycota |
| Class: | Leotiomycetes |
| Order: | Helotiales |
| Family: | Helotiaceae |
| Genus: | Ascocoryne |
| Species: | A. sarcoides |
| Binomial name | |
|
Ascocoryne sarcoides (Jacq.) J.W.Groves & D.E.Wilson (1967) |
|
| Synonyms | |
Ascocoryne sarcoides is a species of fungus in the family Helotiaceae. The species name is derived from the Greek sarkodes (fleshy). Formerly known as Coryne sarcoides, its taxonomical history has been complicated by the fact that it may adopt both sexual and asexual forms. Colloquially known as jelly drops or the purple jellydisc, this common fungus appears as a gelatinous mass of pinkish or purple-colored discs. Distributed widely in North America, Europe and Asia, A. sarcoides is a saprobic fungus and grows in clusters on the trunks and branches of a variety of dead woods. Field studies suggest that colonization by A. sarcoides of the heartwood of black spruce confers some resistance to further infection by rot-causing fungi. A. sarcoides contains the antibiotic compound ascocorynin, shown in the laboratory to inhibit the growth of several Gram-positive bacteria.
The taxonomical history of this fungus has been complicated by the fact that its life cycle allows for both an imperfect (making asexual spores, or conidia) or perfect (making sexual spores) form; at various times authors have assigned names to one or the other form, but these names have often been at odds with the accepted rules of fungal nomenclature. It was originally described in 1781 by the Dutch scientist Nikolaus Joseph von Jacquin as Lichen sarcoides.Christian Hendrik Persoon called it Peziza sarcoides in 1801. Elias Magnus Fries, in his 1822 publication Systema Mycologicum, described the imperfect state of the fungus under the name Tremella sarcoides. The genus name Coryne was first used in 1851 by Bonorden, who proposed Coryne sarcoides for the imperfect state; in 1865 the Tulasne brothers (Charles and Louis René) used Coryne to refer to both the perfect and imperfect forms. It was designated the type species for the genus in a 1931 publication by Clements and Shear.
...
Wikipedia