''Sarcodon cyanellus'' is a species of

tooth fungus The hydnoid fungi are a group of fungi in the Basidiomycota with basidiocarps (fruit bodies) producing spores on pendant, tooth-like or spine-like projections. They are colloquially called tooth fungi. Originally such fungi were referred to the ...

in the family

Bankeraceae The ''Bankeraceae'' are a family of fungi in the order Thelephorales. Taxa are terrestrial, and ectomycorrhizal with plant species in families such as Pinaceae or Fagaceae. The family was circumscribed by Marinus Anton Donk in 1961. Accordin ...

. Found in the

Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (sometimes Cascadia, or simply abbreviated as PNW) is a geographic region in western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though ...

region of North America, where it associates with

Pinaceae The Pinaceae, or pine family, are conifer trees or shrubs, including many of the well-known conifers of commercial importance such as cedars, firs, hemlocks, larches, pines and spruces. The family is included in the order Pinales, formerly know ...

, it was described as new to science in 1964 by mycologist

Kenneth A. Harrison Kenneth A. Harrison (1901 – November 5, 1991) was a Canadian mycologist. He was for many years a plant pathologist at what is now the Atlantic Food and Horticulture Research Centre in Nova Scotia. After retirement, he contributed to the taxonomy ...

, who initially called it ''Hydnum cyanellum''. He transferred it to the genus ''

Sarcodon ''Sarcodon'' is a genus of fungi in the family Bankeraceae, which is part of the order Thelephorales known for its almost universal ectomycorrhizal life style. The genus owes its name to the presence of teeth-like spines on the hymenophore, it ...

'' in 1984. It has a vinaceous-violet to bluish-black

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 ...

References

External links

Herbarium of the University of Michigan
Photo of holotype collection Fungi described in 1984 Fungi of North America cyanellus {{Agaricomycetes-stub