Grifola edulis S.M. Tang & S.H Li, 2024

Tang, Song-Ming, Chen, De-Chao, Wang, Shuai, Wu, Xiao-Qu, Ao, Cheng-Ce, Li, Er-Xian, Luo, Hong-Mei & Li, Shu-Hong, 2024, Morphological and molecular analyses reveal two new species of Grifola (Polyporales) from Yunnan, China, MycoKeys 102, pp. 267-284 : 267

publication ID	https://dx.doi.org/10.3897/mycokeys.102.118518
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/4C2EF63C-66B5-5A14-A197-1CF3970D32B3
treatment provided by	MycoKeys by Pensoft
scientific name	Grifola edulis S.M. Tang & S.H Li
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Grifola edulis S.M. Tang & S.H Li sp. nov.

Figs 2 View Figure 2 , 3 View Figure 3 , 4 View Figure 4 , 10A, B View Figure 10

Etymology.

The epithet “edulis” refers to the edibility of this species, locally considered a delicacy.

Holotype.

China. Yunnan province: Nujiang prefecture, Liuku town, elev. 2,300 m, 8 September 2019, Shu-Hong Li, L5366 (holotype:HKAS 131996!).

Diagnosis.

Differs from other Grifola species in having variable and longer chlamydospores (13-) 22-94 (-115) × 7-12 μm, av. 49.8 ± 28.5 × 9.4 ± 1.4 μm, medium-sized basidiomata 12 × 10 × 18 cm, and growing at the base of Lithocarpus corneus .

Description.

Basidiomata medium-sized, developing a fruiting structure composed of multiple flattened lobes that emanate from a central base, up to 12 × 10 × 18 cm. Lobes 5-7 cm wide, 8-10 cm long, upper surface gray to gray-brown, lower surface white. Thin cuticle. Context white, 0.5-1 mm. Pores are sizable and often have a convoluted, maze-like appearance, 2-4 per mm, tube layer 2-3 mm deep. Texture fleshy to cartilaginous, becoming hard and woody upon drying, emitting a pronounced almond scent when fresh or dry.

Skeletal hyphae with repent and abundant suberect, thin, aligned parallel longitudinal alone lobe, non-staining in IKI- and 5% NaOH solution, hyphae 5-7 μm wide, terminal slightly enlarged, hyphae 8-10 μm wide. Pores edge heteromorphous, more in number of parallel hyphae, thin-walled, colorless in 5% NaOH solution, 2-4 μm wide; pores trama regular, parallel, 80-120 μm wide, made up of thin-walled, cylindrical hyphae, 2-5 μm wide.

Basidia 17-29 × 5-7 μm, av. 24.6 ± 4.7 × 6.5 ± 0.5 μm, clavate, thin-walled, mostly 4-spored, rarely 2-spored; sterigmata 2-5 μm long. Basidiospores [100/2/2] (3.7-) 4.4-6.8 × 2.5-5.6 μm, av. 5.5 ± 0.5 × 4.1 ± 0.5 μm, Q = 1.1-1.8 (-2.2), Qm = 1.40 ± 0.18, broadly ellipsoid to ellipsoid, colorless in IKI- and 5% NaOH solution, thin-walled, irregular ornamented (Fig. 10 View Figure 10 ); basidiospores scatter plot see Fig. 5 View Figure 5 .

Culture feature (Fig. 4 View Figure 4 ). Colony regular, circular, greenish gray (1B2) to grayish yellow (1B3); reverse pale yellow (1A3). Dimitic hyphal system, generative hyphae rarely branched. Texture sub felty and farinaceous. Growth slow, 4 cm in 3 weeks, on Potato Dextrose Agar with Chloramphenicol and 24 °C. Mycelium with no distinctive odor, hyphae clamped, thin-walled, and colorless in 5% NaOH solution, 3-6 μm wide. Chlamydospores terminal or intercalary, irregularly, thin-walled, mostly tibiiform or narrowly clavate, rarely narrowly lageniform or ellipsoid, (13-) 22-94 (-115) × 7-12 μm, av. 49.8 ± 28.5 × 9.4 ± 1.4 μm, Q = 1.4-8.3 (-15.9), Qm = 5.4 ± 3.5, colorless in 5% NaOH solution.

Habitat and distribution.

Grifola edulis occurs in native forests in Yunnan, on Lithocarpus corneus at the base of trees, producing an aromatic white rot.

Edibility.

This mushroom is highly appreciated by local communities.

Additional material examined.

China. Yunnan province: Lushui city, Laowo town , altitude 1,755 m, 12 August 2020, Shu-Hong Li, HKAS 131997 .

Notes.

Grifola edulis is close to G. frondosa and G. amazonica , until now the only species that have been described and recorded from the Northern Hemisphere ( Shen et al. 2002; Rugolo et al. 2023). However, in G. frondosa , lobes’ upper surface is gray to brown tomentose, basidiospores 5.5-6.5 × 3.5-4.5 μm, fruiting bodies occur from September to October, growing on Quercus , Castanea , Fagus , and Carpinus ( Rugolo et al. 2023); G. edulis presents lobes’ upper surface gray to gray brown, smooth, smaller basidiospores av. 5.5 ± 0.5 × 4.1 ± 0.5 μm, and fruiting bodies occur from August to September, on Lithocarpus corneus . Grifola amazonica from Brazil, has lobes’ upper surface evenly brown, glabrous to smooth, smaller basidiospores 4-4.5 × 3-3.5 μm, and pore surface pale grayish brown ( Ryvarden 2004).

In our multi-locus phylogeny, G. frondosa and G. sinensis are sister to the clade of G. edulis . Specimen WC493 (from Norway) has the representative sequence for G. frondosa , given the original collection of G. frondosa in Europe (Britain). The TUBB genetic distances between G. edulis (holotype HKAS 131996) and other accessions in the latter clade were 4.50% (26/578) for Grifola frondosa (WC493), 1.21% (7/578) for G. sinensis (holotype HKAS 131995), thus classifying them as heterospecific.