''Ganoderma microsporum'' is a species of ''

Ganoderma ''Ganoderma'' is a genus of polypore fungi in the family Ganodermataceae that includes about 80 species, many from tropical regions. They may be called ''shelf mushrooms'' or bracket fungi and have a high genetic diversity. ''Ganoderma'' can b ...

'' mushroom native to Taiwan that grows on

willow tree Willows, also called sallows and osiers, of the genus ''Salix'', comprise around 350 species (plus numerous hybrids) of typically deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist soils in cold and temperate regions. Most species are known ...

Description

''Ganoderma microsporum'' has a relatively short or obscure stem that appears bronze or dark purple. The cap is shelf like or unevenly shaped and has a glazed appearance.許. 靈芝概論. 台中市: 萬年出版社. 1993: 140. The

spores In biology, a spore is a unit of sexual (in fungi) or asexual reproduction that may be adapted for dispersal and for survival, often for extended periods of time, in unfavourable conditions. Spores form part of the life cycles of many plant ...

measure 6–8.5 by 4.5–5

μm The micrometre (Commonwealth English as used by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures; SI symbol: μm) or micrometer (American English), also commonly known by the non-SI term micron, is a unit of length in the International System ...

, smaller than the spores of all other known types of ''Ganoderma''.Hseu RS. Chen ZC, Wang HH. ''Ganoderma microsporum'', a new species on weeping willow in Taiwan. Mycotaxon. 1989, 35 (1): 35–40.

Taxonomy

The species was first discovered in Taipei, Taiwan by R.-S. Hseu in 1982, and published in the scientific journal ''

Mycotaxon ''Mycotaxon'' was a peer-reviewed scientific journal that covers the nomenclature and taxonomy of fungi, including lichens. The journal was founded by Grégoire L. Hennebert and Richard P. Korf in 1974. They were frustrated that papers submitted ...

'' in 1989. The

specific epithet In Taxonomy (biology), taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, both of which use Latin gramm ...

''microsporum'' refers to the relatively small size of its spores.

Research

Compounds discovered in ''Ganoderma'' include

polysaccharides Polysaccharides (), or polycarbohydrates, are the most abundant carbohydrates found in food. They are long-chain polymeric carbohydrates composed of monosaccharide units bound together by glycosidic linkages. This carbohydrate can react with wat ...

, triterpenoids,

nucleic acids Nucleic acids are large biomolecules that are crucial in all cells and viruses. They are composed of nucleotides, which are the monomer components: a 5-carbon sugar, a phosphate group and a nitrogenous base. The two main classes of nucleic a ...

and fungal immunomodulatory proteins or FIPs. According to the NIH PubMed database on the physiological activities of ''G. microsporum'', primarily from the FIP found in ''G. microsporum'' (FIP-gmi or GMI), currently known physiological activities include effects on the central nervous system and the respiratory system.

References

microsporum ''Microsporum'' is a genus of fungi that causes tinea capitis, tinea corporis, ringworm, and other dermatophytoses (fungal infections of the skin). ''Microsporum'' forms both macroconidia (large asexual reproductive structures) and microconid ...

Fungi of Taiwan Fungi described in 1989 Fungus species {{Taiwan-stub