Taiwania, 48(1): 1-5, 2003 Three Brown Rot Polypores New to Taiwan and Their Cultural Studies Tun-Tschu Chang (Manuscript received 22 October, 2002; accepted 10 December, 2002) ABSTRACT: Three species of brown rot polypores (Basidiomycota) are described and illustrated as new records for Taiwan. They are Daedalea quercina Fr., Oligoporus sericeomollis (Romell) Pouzar, and O. undosus (Peck.) G. L. Gilb. & Ryvarden. Cultural characteristics are also described for these three species. KEY WORDS: Aphyllophorales, Polypores, Taiwan. INTRODUCTION Wood-inhabiting Basidiomycota can be grouped into two categories, white rot and brown rot fungi, according to the way in which they decay wood. White rot fungi have cellulase and lignase enzyme systems that enable them to degrade all components of wood cell walls. However, brown rot fungi selectively degrade cellulose and hemicellulose from wood. The number of brown rot fungi is remarkably small compared with white rot fungi. Gilbertson (1981) has estimated that in North America approximately 6% of the wood-rotting Basidiomycota give a brown rot. Daedalea Fr. and Oligoporus Bref. were common brown-rot fungi observed in Taiwan (Chang, 1999). Four species of Daedalea and six species of Oligoporus were recorded in Taiwan (Chang, 1999). In the present paper, the author describes one species of Daedalea and two species of Oligoporus new to Taiwan. MATERIALS AND METHODS Descriptions of basidiocarp characters were based on fresh and dried specimens. Free-hand thin sections of basidiocarps were mounted in two reagents for microscopic studies. KOH (3%) was used for observations and measurements of microscopic characters and to ensure rehydration. Melzer's reagent (IKI) was used to detect amyloidity and dextrinoidity. The methods used for examination of basidiocarps have been described in a previous paper (Chang, 1993). Identification was based on Gilbertson and Ryvarden (1986). The methods of Stalpers (1978) were used to study characteristics of these fungi in pure culture. These fungi were isolated from fruiting bodies examined in the study. Cultures were grown at 25J on 2% malt extract agar (MEA) and potato dextrose agar (PDA). Culture response to temperature was determined by measuring the linear growth of colonies on agar plate incubated at temperatures of 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 and 35J for 7 days, respectively. For cultural studies petri dishes (85 mm internal diameter, containing 20-25 mL agar) were ___________________________________________________________________________ 1. Taiwan Forestry Research Institute, 53 Nan-Hai Road, Taipei 100, Taiwan. E-mail: [email protected] 2 TAIWANIA Vol. 48, No. 1 inoculated with a piece of mycelium at the center, kept at 25J and macroscopically examined after 2-week and 6-week incubation. Separate slides were prepared from various parts of the colony and mounted in lactophenol for light microscopic observation. The culture code of these fungi followed Stalpers (1978). The methods of cultural study have been detailed by Chang et al. (1996). TAXONOMY AND CULTURAL DESCRIPTIONS Daedalea quercina Fr., Syst. Mycol. 1: 333, 1821 Fig. 1 Basidiocarps annual to perennial, single to imbricate, broadly sessile to dimitiate, up to 10 cm wide and 4 cm thick, corky to woody, upper surface uneven, tuberculate, smooth to finely velutinate, ochraceous to gray brown, the base more rough or scrupose than the margin which is smooth, margin sharp; pore surface light ochraceous, with daedaleoid to labyrinthine lamellae, lamellae 1-3 mm thick, up to 3 cm long; context up to 1 cm thick, ochraceous to gray brown. Hyphal system trimitic; generative hyphae with clamps, thin-walled, hyaline, up to 4 µm in diameter; binding hyphae tortuous, branched, thick-walled, yellowish brown; skeletal hyphae dominating in the fruiting body, thick-walled, light brown, up to 6 µm in diameter. Basidia not observed. Basidiospores cylindrical, hyaline, smooth, IKI-, 5-6 × 2.5-3.5 µm. Specimen examined: TAIWAN. Taitung County: Chulu, 1,800m alt., on fallen hardwood trunk, leg. T. T. Chang, July 2001, TFRI-993. Distribution: Cosmopolitan species. Remarks: The fungus is recognized by its even dark color and irregular daedaleoid hymenophore. Cultural descriptions: Growth rate of the fungus 20-45 mm in 14 days. The ratio of growth rate on MEA and PDA is 1.25. Critical temp. for growth: min. 10J, opt. 20-25J. Outline of colony even. Hyphae of the advancing zone appeared raised. Colony white to cream. Aerial mycelia floccose, cottony, woolly to felty. Generative hyphae with clamps. Skeletal and binding hyphae, and chlamydospores present. Culture code: (7), (8), (9), 12, 19, 21, 22, 25, Fig. 1. Daedalea guercina. a. Basidiospores. 30, 31, 39, 42, (44), (45), 46, (48), 49, 52, 53, 54, b. Generative hyphae. c. Binding hyphae. 83, 85, 89. d. Skeletal hyphae. Bar = 10 µm. Oligoporus sericeomollis (Romell) Pouzar, Ceska Mykol. 38: 203, 1984. Fig. 2 Basidiocarps annual, resupinate, readily separable, soft when fresh, corky when dry; pore surface white to cream, pores circular to angular, 4-6 per mm; context whitish, less than 1 mm thick; tuber layer concolorous with pore surface, up to 2 mm thick. Hyphal system monomitic; generative hyphae clamped, hyaline, thin- to thick-walled, 2-4 µm in diameter. Cystidia occasional to abundant, ventricose, thick-walled, hyaline, with apically incrusted, 14-24 × 4-7 March, 2003 Chang: Three polypores new to Taiwan 3 µm. Basidia clavate, 4-sterigmate, 15-20 × 4.5-6 µm, with a basal clamp. Basidiospores oblong to cylindric-ellipsoid, hyaline, smooth, IKI-, 4-5 × 2-2.5 µm. Specimen examined: TAIWAN, Taichung county: Hsueshankeng, 1,950 m alt., on fallen trunk of Cinnamomum kanehirai Hay., leg. T. T. Chang, June 2001, TFRI-968. Distribution: In conifer forests of Northern Hemisphere, eg. America, Europe and Asia. Remarks: The extremely bitter taste and incrusted cystia characterize this species (Gilbertson & Ryvarden, 1986). However, the fruiting body collected from Taiwan does not have bitter taste. The fungus usually grows on conifers, but it was collected from Cinnamomum kanehirai in Taiwan. Cultural descriptions: Growth rate of the fungus 20-35 mm in 14 days. The ratio of growth Fig. 2. Oligoporus sericeomollis. a. Basidio- rate on MEA and PDA is 0.79. Critical temp. for spores. b. Basidia. c. Cystidia. d. Generative hyphae. Bar = 10 µm. growth: min. 10J, opt. 20-25J. Outline of colony even. Hyphae of the advancing zone appeared raised. Colony white to cream. Aerial mycelia floccose, cottony to woolly. Generative hyphae with clamps. Chlamydospores present. Culture code: (8), (9), (11), 12, (14), 19, 21, 22, 30, 31, 39, 42, 44, 45, (48), 52, 53, 54, 83, 85, 89. Oligoporus undosus (Peck) G. L. Gilb. & Ryvarden., Mycotaxon 22: 365, 1985. Fig. 3 Basidiocarps annual, effused-reflexed to resupinate; pilei usually narrow, elongate, margin undulate; upper surface white to pale buff, tomentose to glabrous, smooth to shallowly sulcate; pore surface cream, pores angular to irregular, 1-4 per mm; context whitish, soft when fresh, up to 5 mm thick; tube layer concolorous with the context, up to 1.5 mm thick. Hyphal system monomitic; clamped, hyaline, thin- to thick-walled, 2.5-7 µm in diameter. Basidia clavate, 4-sterigmate, 15-30 × 4.5-8 µm, with a basal clamp. Basidiospores allantoid, hyaline, smooth, IKI-, 4.5-6 × 1-1.5 µm. Specimen examined: TAIWAN, Ilan county: Suyuanyakou, 1,650 m alt., on fallen trunk of Pinus taiwanensis Hay., leg. T. T. Chang, Nov. 1998, TFRI-878. Fig. 3. Oligoporus undosus. a. Basidiospores. Distribution: In conifer forests of Northern b. Basidia. c. Generative hyphae. Bar = 10 µm. Hemisphere, eg. America, Europe and Asia. 4 TAIWANIA Vol. 48, No. 1 Remarks: The undulate margin and large pores characterize this species. Cultural descriptions: Growth rate of the fungus 20-38 mm in 14 days. The ratio of growth rate on MEA and PDA is about 1. Critical temp. for growth: min. 10J, opt. 20-25J. Outline of colony even. Hyphae of the advancing zone appeared raised. Colony white to cream. Aerial mycelia floccose, cottony to woolly. Generative hyphae with clamps. Chlamydospores present. Culture code: (8), (9), (11), 12, (14), 19, 21, 22, 30, 31, 39, 42, 44, 45, (48), 52, 53, 54, 83, 85, 90. ACKNOWLEDMENTS This work was in part supported by a grant from the Taiwan Forestry Research Institute, Council of Agriculture, Taiwan. This paper is contribution No. 232 of the Taiwan Forestry Research Institute. LITERATURE CITED Chang, T.-T. 1993. Seven wood-inhabiting Aphyllophorales (Basidiomycota) new to Taiwan. Bot. Bull. Acad. Sin. 34: 183-190. Chang, T.-T. (ed.). 1999. List of the fungi in Taiwan. Council of Agriculture, ROC. 289pp. Chang, T.-T., W.-H. Chiu and J. Hua. 1996. The cultural atlas of wood-inhabiting Aphyllo- phorales in Taiwan vol. 1. Food Indus. Res. Develop. Inst. Mycol. Monog. 10: 1-126. Gilbertson, R. L. 1981. North American wood-rotting fungi that cause brown rots. Mycotaxon 12: 372-416. Gilbertson, R. L. and L. Ryvarden. 1986. North American Polypores. Fungiflora A/S, Oslo, Norway. 885pp. Stalpers, J. A. 1978. Identification of wood-inhabiting Aphyllophorales in pure culture. Stud. Mycol. 16: 1-248. March, 2003 Chang: Three polypores new to Taiwan 5 TxWsGhis iFW (ZG 2002~10 22FG 2002~12 10 ) K n bxWo{TGhsAOO Daedalea quercina Fr., Oligoporus sericeomollis (Romell) PouzarAMO. undosus (Peck) G. L. Gilb. & RyvardenC PsiC GLBhBxWC ___________________________________________________________________________ 1.F|Ae|L~LO@AO_ 100n 53AxWC E-mail: [email protected]