''Neolentinus'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

of wood-decaying

agaric An agaric () is a type of fungus fruiting body characterized by the presence of a pileus (cap) that is clearly differentiated from the stipe (stalk), with lamellae (gills) on the underside of the pileus. In the UK, agarics are called "mushroom ...

s with tough (leathery to woody)

fruit bodies The sporocarp (also known as fruiting body, fruit body or fruitbody) of fungi is a multicellular structure on which spore-producing structures, such as basidia or asci, are borne. The fruitbody is part of the sexual phase of a fungal life cyc ...

composed of dimitic tissue, serrated

lamella Lamella (plural lamellae) means a small plate or flake in Latin, and in English may refer to: Biology * Lamella (mycology), a papery rib beneath a mushroom cap * Lamella (botany) * Lamella (surface anatomy), a plate-like structure in an animal ...

edges, and nonamyloid white binucleate basidiospores among other features. It was segregated from ''

Lentinus ''Lentinus'' is a genus of fungi in the family Polyporaceae. The genus is widely distributed, with many species found in subtropical regions. The genus name ''Lentinus'' is derived from the Latin ''lent'', meaning "pliable", and ''inus'', meani ...

'' in the broad taxonomic sense, hence the derivation of the name. Biologically ''Neolentinus'' species produce a brown rot type of decay of wood, whereas ''Lentinus'' causes a

white rot A wood-decay or xylophagous fungus is any species of fungus that digests moist wood, causing it to rot. Some species of wood-decay fungi attack dead wood, such as brown rot, and some, such as ''Armillaria'' (honey fungus), are parasitic and col ...

. Molecular phylogenetic analysis shows that the two genera are unrelated. ''Neolentinus'' is

phylogenetic In biology, phylogenetics (; from Greek φυλή/ φῦλον [] "tribe, clan, race", and wikt:γενετικός, γενετικός [] "origin, source, birth") is the study of the evolutionary history and relationships among or within groups o ...

ally allied to other brown rot genera such as '' Gloeophyllum'', '' Heliocybe'', and '' Veluticeps''. A new order, the Gloeophyllales, has been described for these

fungi A fungus ( : fungi or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, separately from ...

. ''Heliocybe'' had been placed in

synonymy A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are all ...

but it differs phylogenetically and anatomically by the lack of

clamp connection A clamp connection is a hook-like structure formed by growing hyphal cells of certain fungi. It is a characteristic feature of Basidiomycetes fungi. It is created to ensure that each cell, or segment of hypha separated by septa (cross walls), rec ...

s that all ''Neolentinus'' produce on their generative hyphae.

Species

The best known species in this genus is '' Neolentinus lepideus'', sometimes known as the "train wrecker", a name coined because the fungus is one of the few decay fungi that can grow on

creosote Creosote is a category of carbonaceous chemicals formed by the distillation of various tars and pyrolysis of plant-derived material, such as wood or fossil fuel. They are typically used as preservatives or antiseptics. Some creosote types were ...

-treated

railroad ties A railroad tie, crosstie (American English), railway tie (Canadian English) or railway sleeper (Australian English, Australian and British English) is a rectangular support for the Track (rail transport), rails in railroad tracks. Generally la ...

. ''Neolentinus lepideus'' also grows on timbers in old mines, but because it requires light to form its

cap A cap is a flat headgear, usually with a visor. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head. They made their first appearance as early as 3200 BC. Caps typically have a visor, or no brim at all. They are popular in casual and informal se ...

, the fungus forms bizarre growth forms when fruit bodies start to form in dark mine shafts or cellars. ''Neolentinus lepideus'' is widely distributed. ''Neolentinus kauffmanii'' decays sitka spruce on the west coast of North America, producing a variation of brown rot called brown pocket rot. ''Neolentinus ponderosus'' is another western North American species found on the ground, growing from the roots of or growing from the stumps of

pine A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The World Flora Online created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanical Garden accepts ...

, predominantly ''Pinus ponderosa'' in montane areas. In

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

, it is often solitary, common in the Sierra, and is rare at low elevations. The fruiting commences from late spring to late summer. Sought out when young and tender, it has an excellent taste. ''Neolentinus dactyloides'' is a

fire ecology Fire ecology is a scientific discipline concerned with natural processes involving fire in an ecosystem and the ecological effects, the interactions between fire and the abiotic and biotic components of an ecosystem, and the role as an ecosystem ...

specie

that fruits from massive subterranean pseudosclerotium, pseudosclerotia in Australia.

Etymology

''Neolentinus'' means the new (Latin - ''neo-'') ''Lentinus''. ''

'' is an older generic name historically applied to a broad group of agarics, and now restricted in application excluding ''Neolentinus''.

References

External links

''Neolentinus ponderosus'' at California Fungi
* {{Taxonbar, from=Q6993128 Gloeophyllales Agaricomycetes genera