''Pycnoporus'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

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

in the family

Polyporaceae The Polyporaceae () are a family (biology), family of polypore, poroid fungi belonging to the Basidiomycota. The trama (mycology), flesh of their basidiocarp, fruit bodies varies from soft (as in the case of the dryad's saddle illustrated) to v ...

. This genus is distinguished from most other polypores because of its brilliant red-orange color. Modern mycology recognizes five distinct species of ''Pycnoporus'': the

type Type may refer to: Science and technology Computing * Typing, producing text via a keyboard, typewriter, etc. * Data type, collection of values used for computations. * File type * TYPE (DOS command), a command to display contents of a file. * ...

'' P. cinnabarinus'', '' P. coccineus'', '' P. palibini'', '' P. puniceus'', and '' P. sanguineus''. These species are divided somewhat by

morphology Morphology, from the Greek and meaning "study of shape", may refer to: Disciplines *Morphology (archaeology), study of the shapes or forms of artifacts *Morphology (astronomy), study of the shape of astronomical objects such as nebulae, galaxies, ...

biogeography Biogeography is the study of the species distribution, distribution of species and ecosystems in geography, geographic space and through evolutionary history of life, geological time. Organisms and biological community (ecology), communities o ...

, and

DNA sequence A nucleic acid sequence is a succession of bases within the nucleotides forming alleles within a DNA (using GACT) or RNA (GACU) molecule. This succession is denoted by a series of a set of five different letters that indicate the order of the nu ...

Biogeography

''Pycnoporus cinnabarinus'' occurs in cooler, temperate regions within Europe and North America. ''Pycnoporus sanguineus'' occurs in warmer, tropical regions within South America, North America, and Asia. ''Pycnoporus coccineus'' occurs in temperate areas of Australia and New Zealand. ''Pycnoporus puniceus'' is a rare species found in Southeastern Asia and Malaysia.

Description

Fruiting bodies are typically sessile, corky, slightly tomentose to glaborose. on fallen hardwood logs, but can be on coniferous trees as well. These fungi live in diverse habitats, but are typically located near a source of water. Pileus length x width x height (thickness) can range from 1–9 cm (l) x 1–7 cm (w) x 0.2–2 cm (h). Colors range on the scale of paprika red to flame orange but almost always are vibrant. Spores are white, oblong, somewhat pointed, 2-3 x 4-6 um. KOH reactions yield a dark brown to black color for most specimens but can bleach out (turn white) the pileus of a few specimens over longer time periods. Specimens typically retain their strong red-orange color for long periods of time, especially when dried and stored properly. Yet some turn dingy brown or gray and fade in color over time. The red colour of ''Pycnoporus'' species comes from

pigments A pigment is a powder used to add or alter color or change visual appearance. Pigments are completely or nearly solubility, insoluble and reactivity (chemistry), chemically unreactive in water or another medium; in contrast, dyes are colored sub ...

that are chemically related to phenoxazinone, including cinnabarin, tramesanguin and cinnabarinic acid.

Identification

In order to identify the species of ''Pycnoporus'' a few characteristics must be carefully observed. To distinguish between ''P. cinnabarinus'' and ''P. sanguineus'' one must note the thickness of the pileus. ''P. cinnabarinus'' has a fruiting body ranging from 5 to 15 mm in thickness while ''P. sanguineus'' ranges from 1–5 mm thick. Additionally ''P. sanguineus'' typically contains darker red pigments that do not easily fade. Several collected specimens of ''P. cinnabarinus'' show pale orange pigmentation in areas with direct sunlight. Lastly, ''P. cinnabarinus'' contains larger pores per mm (2-4) than ''P. sanguineus'' with 4-6 pores per mm.

Uses

''Pycnoporus'' fungi are used heavily for industry because of their ability to produce powerful lignolytic enzymes that break down

lignin Lignin is a class of complex organic polymers that form key structural materials in the support tissues of most plants. Lignins are particularly important in the formation of cell walls, especially in wood and bark, because they lend rigidit ...

and tough

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 ...

in wood and paper. The major

enzyme An enzyme () is a protein that acts as a biological catalyst by accelerating chemical reactions. The molecules upon which enzymes may act are called substrate (chemistry), substrates, and the enzyme converts the substrates into different mol ...

that differentiates this fungus from other

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 ''Serpula lacrymans'', and some, such as '' Armillaria'' (honey fungus), are par ...

ters is

laccase Laccases () are multicopper oxidases found in plants, fungi, and bacteria. Laccases oxidize a variety of phenolic substrates, performing one-electron oxidations, leading to crosslinking. For example, laccases play a role in the formation of li ...

and under the correct conditions ''Pycnoporus'' can produce large concentrations of this enzyme. ''Pycnoporus'' fungi also produce copper and iron

metalloenzyme Metalloprotein is a generic term for a protein that contains a metal ion cofactor. A large proportion of all proteins are part of this category. For instance, at least 1000 human proteins (out of ~20,000) contain zinc-binding protein domains al ...

s that are involved in the chemical transformation of

aromatic compound Aromatic compounds or arenes are organic compounds "with a chemistry typified by benzene" and "cyclically conjugated." The word "aromatic" originates from the past grouping of molecules based on odor, before their general chemical properties were ...

s found in plant cell walls. Other uses have been reported in Australia. Aboriginal peoples have used it for curing mouth sores, ulcers, and teething of infants.

References

Eggert, C, Temp, U, & Eriksson, K-EL. (1996). "Lignolytic system of the white rot fungus ''Pycnoporus cinnabarinus'': Purification and characterization of the laccase". ''Applied and Environmental Microbiology.'' 62.4, 1151-58. Eggert, C., LaFayette, P.R., Temp, U., Eriksson, K.E., Dean, J.F. (1998) "Molecular analysis of a laccase gene from the white rot fungus Pycnoporus cinnabarinus". ''Appl. Environ. Microbiol.'' 64, 1766–72. Gilbertson, RL & Ryvarden, L. (1986). "North American polypores". ''Fungiflora'': 2, 687-91. Hibbett, Lowe, JL. (1953). ''The polyporaceae of the United States, Alaska, and Canada''. Ann Arbor: Univ. of Michigan Press. {{Taxonbar, from=Q2710003 Polyporaceae Polyporales genera Taxa named by Petter Adolf Karsten Taxa described in 1881