Grifola frondosa
Grifola frondosa (Dicks. : Fr.) Gray
Polyporaceae
Conservation status. Endangered [EN B2ab(i,ii,iv)].
Morphology and biology. Fruit-bodies large, up to 40 cm in diameter, composed of a central stipe with numerous branches starting from the base; branches with fan-shaped caps, 2–8 cm in diameter, in tile-like clusters, often accreted to one another, grey lilac then brown to dark brown, fleshy; surface finely mossy, smooth, in old specimens radially wrinkled; margin wavy. Tubes decurrent, white to yellowish brown, with angular unicolored pores. Stipe short and thick, up to 10 cm, creamy; branches flat, varying in thickness, unicolored. Flesh thin in the caps, thick in the stipe and branches, white. Spores ovoid to ellipsoid, 6–7 × 4–4.5 µm, smooth, colourless. Fruit-bodies in large clusters. VI–X.
Habitats and populations. Parasite growing at the bottom of living trees or saprotroph on tree trunks in deciduous (oak – Quercus, hornbeam – Carpinus, beech – Fagus, sweet chestnut – Castanea, maple – Acer) and mixed forests.
Distribution in Bulgaria. Znepole Region (Golo Burdo Mt – Ostritsa Managed Nature Reserve), Rhodopi Mts (Western – near Velingrad).
General distribution. Europe, Asia, North America, Australia.
Threats. Habitat loss/degradation caused by wood plantations, logging, development of tourism/recreation, fires.
Conservation measures taken. Included in the Red List of Fungi in Bulgaria. One of the known localities is on the territory of Ostritsa Managed Nature Reserve.
Conservation measures needed. Study of the population numbers and range; better understanding of the species biology and ecology; conservation of the habitats; regular monitoring.
References. Burzakov 1928; Gyosheva 1994; Gyosheva et al. 2000, 2006.
Authors: Melania Gyosheva & Georgi T. Stoichev
