''Sarcodontia setosa'' is a species of toothed

crust fungus The corticioid fungi are a group of fungi in the Basidiomycota typically having effused, smooth basidiocarps (fruit bodies) that are formed on the undersides of dead tree trunks or branches. They are sometimes colloquially called crust fungi or pa ...

in the family

Meruliaceae The Meruliaceae are a family of fungi in the order Polyporales. According to a 2008 estimate, the family contains 47 genera and 420 species. , Index Fungorum accepts 645 species in the family. Taxonomy The family was formally circumscribed by E ...

. It is 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 ...

species that is found in Europe and North America.

Taxonomy

The fungus was originally described by

Christiaan Hendrik Persoon Christiaan Hendrik Persoon (1 February 1761 – 16 November 1836) was a German mycologist who made additions to Linnaeus' mushroom taxonomy. Early life Persoon was born in South Africa at the Cape of Good Hope, the third child of an immi ...

in 1825 as ''Hydnum setosum''.

Marinus Anton Donk Marinus Anton Donk (14 August 1908 – 2 September 1972) was a Dutch mycologist. He specialized in the taxonomy and nomenclature of mushrooms. Rolf Singer wrote in his obituary that he was "one of the most outstanding figures of contemporary mycol ...

transferred it to the genus ''

Sarcodontia ''Sarcodontia'' is a genus of toothed fungi in the family Meruliaceae. It was circumscribed by Hungarian–Croatian mycologist Stephan Schulzer von Müggenburg in 1866, with ''Sarcodontia mali'' as the type species. Species *''Sarcodontia croce ...

'' in 1952.

Description

The fungus grows as a thick, yellow crust on the underside of damaged apple tree branches, with dimensions of wide by long. The tightly-packed teeth are long and have tapered tips. They are pale to bright yellow in colour, although both bruising and age tend to cause a reddish discolouration. The odour of the fungus has been described as "fruity but unpleasant".

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 c ...

of the fungus contain the

benzoquinone Benzoquinone (C6H4O2) is a quinone with a single benzene ring. There are 2 (out of 3 hypothetical) benzoquinones: * 1,4-Benzoquinone, most commonly, right image (also ''para''-benzoquinone, ''p''-benzoquinone, ''para''-quinone, or just quinone) * ...

-derived compound sarcodontic acid, which impart the yellow colour. The fungus is inedible, but can be used as a

mushroom dye Mushrooms can be used to create color dyes via color-extraction with a solvent (often ammonia) as well as particulation of raw material. The shingled hedgehog mushroom and related species contain blue-green pigments, which are used for dyeing wool ...

, and produces a pinkish-brown colour with a variety of

mordant A mordant or dye fixative is a substance used to set (i.e. bind) dyes on fabrics by forming a coordination complex with the dye, which then attaches to the fabric (or tissue). It may be used for dyeing fabrics or for intensifying stains in ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q10661781 Fungi described in 1825 Fungi of Europe Fungi of North America Inedible fungi Meruliaceae Taxa named by Christiaan Hendrik Persoon Fungus species