Featured Fungus: Lentinus tigrinus
Tiger Sawgill (Lentinus tigris) at the waterline
by Dave Layton
The Mississippi is flooding right now, but soon I’ll be on the river hoping to hog into some tasty fish. I never imagined I’d also be excited about collecting some of these common mushrooms from dead wood on the shoreline. That’s because, needless to say, I’ve already tried unsuccessfully to eat them. It turns out they’re much more important than part of my next meal. They may represent a vital link in understanding fungal evolution according to Dr. David Hibbett who is asking us to help with his research by collecting them. There is an article from Sarah about this in our latest issue of Symbiosis along with more pictures. Here is what Dr. Hibbett says,
The Tiger Sawgill, Lentinus tigrinus, is an unusual water-loving mushroom that is common but rarely collected. To find this fungus, you must visit its habitat, which includes the muddy banks of rivers and alluvial swamp forests—not the sort of place that one would look for chanterelles or porcinis. If you find one, turn it over and observe the spore-bearing structures. One of the fascinating things about L. tigrinus is that it occurs in two forms. One is a typical gilled mushroom, which releases spores to the air, and the other is a gasteromycete-like “secotioid” form, in which the spore-bearing structures are concealed beneath a permanent later of tissue. The Hibbett lab at Clark University in Massachusetts is conducting research on the genetics and development of the secotioid form. If you would like to contribute specimens to this work, please contact David Hibbett or Thomas Roehl.
David Hibbett and Thomas Roehl, Clark University, Worcester, Massachusetts 01610
