Neolentinus lepideus
Encyclopedia
Neolentinus lepideus is a basidiomycete mushroom
of the genus
Neolentinus, until recently also widely known as Lentinus lepideus. Common names for it include scaly lentinus and train wrecker.
s of variable size. The cap is at first convex and flattens with maturity while the margin remains inrolled. The cap
may grow up to about 12 cm, while the stem
grows to about 8 cm in height. The white, cream to pale-brown cap cuticle is distinctively covered with concentrically arranged dark scales which become denser towards the depressed cap centre. The gills are white and their attachment to the stem is adnate to subdecurrent or decurrent. The spore mass
is white and the spore
s are cylindrical in shape. The spore dimensions are 8-12.5 by 3.5-5 µm.
The stem bears the same coloration as the cap and is also covered in dark scales in the region below the white ring
.
s, log
s and timber
. It may also be found in gardens, on man-made wooden structures such as old railroad tie
s, and in such unusual places as coal mines. Less frequently, it is also found on non-coniferous hardwood
. The fungus's fruiting season is spring to autumn and it is common in Europe and North America.
mode of nutrition and is an important woodland decomposer
and a cause of wet rot
in building materials. The fungus has shown tolerance of wood treated with creosote
and other preservatives, and has been used in experiments to evaluate the efficacy of treatment methods.
s smeared with creosote
.
Fruiting bodies have a flesh with a tough consistency which increases with maturity. The fruiting body has no discernible taste and may have a weak aniseed-like smell.
Mushroom
A mushroom is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground on soil or on its food source. The standard for the name "mushroom" is the cultivated white button mushroom, Agaricus bisporus; hence the word "mushroom" is most often applied to those fungi that...
of the genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Neolentinus, until recently also widely known as Lentinus lepideus. Common names for it include scaly lentinus and train wrecker.
Appearance
Neolentinus lepideus fruit bodies are tough, fleshy, agaricAgaric
An agaric is a type of fungal fruiting body characterized by the presence of a pileus that is clearly differentiated from the stipe , with lamellae on the underside of the pileus. "Agaric" can also refer to a basidiomycete species characterized by an agaric-type fruiting body...
s of variable size. The cap is at first convex and flattens with maturity while the margin remains inrolled. The cap
Pileus (mycology)
The pileus is the technical name for the cap, or cap-like part, of a basidiocarp or ascocarp that supports a spore-bearing surface, the hymenium. The hymenium may consist of lamellae, tubes, or teeth, on the underside of the pileus...
may grow up to about 12 cm, while the stem
Stipe (mycology)
thumb|150px|right|Diagram of a [[basidiomycete]] stipe with an [[annulus |annulus]] and [[volva |volva]]In mycology a stipe refers to the stem or stalk-like feature supporting the cap of a mushroom. Like all tissues of the mushroom other than the hymenium, the stipe is composed of sterile hyphal...
grows to about 8 cm in height. The white, cream to pale-brown cap cuticle is distinctively covered with concentrically arranged dark scales which become denser towards the depressed cap centre. The gills are white and their attachment to the stem is adnate to subdecurrent or decurrent. The spore mass
Spore print
thumb|300px|right|Making a spore print of the mushroom Volvariella volvacea shown in composite: mushroom cap laid on white and dark paper; cap removed after 24 hours showing pinkish-tan spore print...
is white and the spore
Spore
In biology, a spore is a reproductive structure that is adapted for dispersal and surviving for extended periods of time in unfavorable conditions. Spores form part of the life cycles of many bacteria, plants, algae, fungi and some protozoa. According to scientist Dr...
s are cylindrical in shape. The spore dimensions are 8-12.5 by 3.5-5 µm.
The stem bears the same coloration as the cap and is also covered in dark scales in the region below the white ring
Annulus (mycology)
An annulus is the ring like structure sometimes found on the stipe of some species of mushrooms. The annulus represents the remaining part of the partial veil, after it has ruptured to expose the gills or other spore-producing surface. An annulus may be thick and membranous, or it may be cobweb-like...
.
Habitat and distribution
Fruiting bodies of Neolentinus lepideus are found singly or in tufts emerging from dead and decaying coniferous wood, favouring pines (Pinus) including old stumpTree stump
After a tree has been cut and felled, the stump or tree stump is usually a small remaining portion of the trunk with the roots still in the ground. Stumps may show the age-defining rings of a tree. The study of these rings is known as dendrochronology....
s, log
Logging
Logging is the cutting, skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks.In forestry, the term logging is sometimes used in a narrow sense concerning the logistics of moving wood from the stump to somewhere outside the forest, usually a sawmill or a lumber yard...
s and timber
Timber
Timber may refer to:* Timber, a term common in the United Kingdom and Australia for wood materials * Timber, Oregon, an unincorporated community in the U.S...
. It may also be found in gardens, on man-made wooden structures such as old railroad tie
Railroad tie
A railroad tie/railway tie , or railway sleeper is a rectangular item used to support the rails in railroad tracks...
s, and in such unusual places as coal mines. Less frequently, it is also found on non-coniferous hardwood
Hardwood
Hardwood is wood from angiosperm trees . It may also be used for those trees themselves: these are usually broad-leaved; in temperate and boreal latitudes they are mostly deciduous, but in tropics and subtropics mostly evergreen.Hardwood contrasts with softwood...
. The fungus's fruiting season is spring to autumn and it is common in Europe and North America.
Importance
Neolentinus lepideus has a saprotrophicSaprotrophic nutrition
Saprotrophic nutrition is a process of chemoheterotrophic extra-cellular digestion involved in the processing of dead or decayed organic matter that occurs in saprotrophs or heterotrophs, and is most often associated with fungi, for example Mucor and Rhizopus...
mode of nutrition and is an important woodland decomposer
Decomposer
Decomposers are organisms that break down dead or decaying organisms, and in doing so carry out the natural process of decomposition. Like herbivores and predators, decomposers are heterotrophic, meaning that they use organic substrates to get their energy, carbon and nutrients for growth and...
and a cause of wet rot
Dry rot
Dry rot refers to a type of wood decay caused by certain types of fungi, also known as True Dry Rot, that digests parts of the wood which give the wood strength and stiffness...
in building materials. The fungus has shown tolerance of wood treated with creosote
Creosote
Creosote is the portion of chemical products obtained by the distillation of a tar that remains heavier than water, notably useful for its anti-septic and preservative properties...
and other preservatives, and has been used in experiments to evaluate the efficacy of treatment methods.
Edibility
While some authors qualify Neolentinus lepideus as edible, others describe it as inedible. Despite there being no recorded poisonings, because fruitbodies of it tend to grow on man-made wooden structures, the fungus may come in contact with hazardous chemicals, like wooden railroad tieRailroad tie
A railroad tie/railway tie , or railway sleeper is a rectangular item used to support the rails in railroad tracks...
s smeared with creosote
Creosote
Creosote is the portion of chemical products obtained by the distillation of a tar that remains heavier than water, notably useful for its anti-septic and preservative properties...
.
Fruiting bodies have a flesh with a tough consistency which increases with maturity. The fruiting body has no discernible taste and may have a weak aniseed-like smell.