Phaeolus schweinitzii
{{Short description|Species of fungus}}
{{Speciesbox
| name =
| image = Phaeolus schweinitzii 433858897.jpg
| taxon = Phaeolus schweinitzii
| authority = (Fr.) Pat. (1900)
}}
{{ mycomorphbox
| name = Phaeolus schweinitzii
| hymeniumType = pores
| capShape = offset
| whichGills = decurrent
| stipeCharacter = bare
| sporePrintColor = white
| sporePrintColor2 = yellow
| ecologicalType = saprotrophic
| ecologicalType2 = parasitic
| howEdible = inedible
}}
Phaeolus schweinitzii, commonly known as velvet-top fungus, dyer's polypore, dyer's mazegill, or pine dye polypore, is a fungal plant pathogen.
Taxonomy
P. schweinitzii is named after Lewis David de Schweinitz, a Pennsylvania-born Moravian minister and important early American mycologist.
Description
P. schweinitzii is a polypore, although unlike bracket fungi the fruiting body may appear terrestrial{{Citation needed|date=November 2021}} when growing from the roots or base of the host tree.{{cite book|last1=Trudell|first1=Steve|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WevHvt6Tr8kC|title=Mushrooms of the Pacific Northwest|last2=Ammirati|first2=Joe|publisher=Timber Press|year=2009|isbn=978-0-88192-935-5|series=Timber Press Field Guides|location=Portland, OR|pages=262|language=en}}
The fruiting bodies, appearing in late summer or fall, commonly incorporate blades of grass, twigs, or fallen pine needles as they grow. They are tannish with darker brown centres, with orange to pale margins on young specimens.{{Cite book|last1=Davis|first1=R. Michael|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=obp7jddvjt4C&pg=PT351|title=Field Guide to Mushrooms of Western North America|last2=Sommer|first2=Robert|last3=Menge|first3=John A.|publisher=University of California Press|year=2012|isbn=978-0-520-95360-4|location=Berkeley|pages=351–352|oclc=797915861}} They may grow beyond {{Convert|25|cm|frac=2}} in diameter. As the fruiting bodies age, the pore surface turns from yellow to greenish yellow, the top becomes darker, and the yellow-brown flesh becomes harder and more wood-like. The pores bruise brown. The spores are white, elliptical, smooth, and inamyloid.
The effect, impact and significance of infection by this fungus is rooted in the fact that it causes brown rot, which degrades the cellulose. Thus there is a loss of tensile strength which often leads to brittle fracture near the stem base, even at a fairly early stage of decay. Decay initiated above ground can lead to branch snap or breakout.{{cite book|last1=Watson |first1=Guy |last2=Green |first2=Ted|title=Fungi on Trees|date=2011|publisher=The Arboricultural Association|location=Gloucestershire, England|isbn=978-0-900978-55-5|page=46}}
= Similar species =
Similar species include Heterobasidion irregulare, H. occidentale, Inonotus dryophilus, and Onnia tomentosa.
Habitat and distribution
P. schweinitzii causes causes butt rot on conifers such as Douglas-fir, spruce, fir, hemlock, pine, and larch. It is native to North America and Eurasia,{{cite journal| title=Schweinitzii Root and Butt Rot of Western Conifers| first1=Susan K. | last1=Hagle| first2=Gregory M.| last2=Filip| journal=Forest Insect & Disease Leaflet |issue=177 |date=March 2010 |publisher=USDA Forest Service | url=http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/nr/fid/fidls/fidl-177.pdf}} and has been identified as an exotic species in New Zealand, Australia, and South Africa.{{cite journal| title=Exotic Wood Decay Fungus on Pine |journal=Forest Health News| issue=126 |date=February 2003 |publisher=Scion |url=http://www.nzffa.org.nz/images/design/diseases/Phaeolus-schweinitzii/Phaeolus-schweinitziiFHnews126.html}}
Uses
As its common name suggests, the dyer's polypore is an excellent natural source of green, yellow, gold, or brown dye, depending on the material dyed and the mordant used.{{cite web| url=http://botit.botany.wisc.edu/toms_fungi/nov2007.html |title=Phaeolus schweinitzii, the dye polypore or velvet-top fungus |first1=Tom |last1=Volk | first2=Debby| last2=Hanmer| work=Tom Volk's Fungus of the Month |date=November 2007 |accessdate=2011-01-14}}{{cite web | url=http://mushroom-collecting.com/mushroomdyeing.html | publisher=Mushroom-Collecting.com | title=Dyeing with Mushrooms | accessdate=2009-10-26}}
The species is not edible.{{cite book |last=Phillips |first=Roger |title=Mushrooms and Other Fungi of North America |publisher=Firefly Books |year=2010 |isbn=978-1-55407-651-2 |location=Buffalo, NY |page=304}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q1314913}}
Category:Fungal tree pathogens and diseases
Category:Fungi described in 1821
Category:Fungi of North America