Pseudevernia furfuracea
Encyclopedia
Pseudevernia furfuracea, commonly known as tree moss, is a lichen
ized species of fungus that grows on the bark
of fir
s and pine
s. The lichen is rather sensitive to air pollution
, its presence usually indicating good air conditions in the growing place. The species has numerous human uses, including use in perfume, embalming and in medicine. Large amounts of tree moss is annually processed in France for the perfume industry.
. It reproduces asexually by isidia. The ontogeny
of isidia development and its role in CO2 gas exchange in P. furfuracea has been investigated.
The preferred growing surfaces for P. furfuracea are the so-called "nutrient poor" bark trees, including birch
, pine
and spruce
.
The species has two morphologically identical varieties that are distinguished by the secondary metabolites they produce: var. ceratea Zopf. produces olivetoric acid and other physodic acids, while var. furfuracea produces physodic but not olivetoric acid. Some authors (e.g., Hale 1968) have separated the chemotype
s at the species level, designating the olivetoric acid-containing specimens as Pseudevernia olivetorina, but more recent literature separates them at the varietal level.
, France
for the perfume
industry.
ian embalming
, P. furfuracea was found packed into the body cavity of mummies
, although it is not certain whether this was done because of the supposed preservative properties or the aromatic properties of the lichen.
and Viznar
, Andalucia (Spain
), P. furfuracea is used for respiratory complaints. The thallus is washed and boiled for a long time to prepare a decoction
which is drunk.
Water extracts of this species have been shown to have a potent protective effect on genotoxicity caused by bismuth
compounds such as colloidal bismuth subcitrate.
(II) and nickel
(II) was shown to follow the Langmuir and Freundlich
isotherm models, suggesting it may have potential as a biosorbent for treatment of heavy metal wastes.
heavy metals like Cr
, Zn
, Cd
, Pb
, Ni
, Fe
, Mn
and Cu
proportional to their concentration in airborne particulates, they may be used as a biomonitor of air quality, although it has been noted that both trace metal
accumulation and major element accumulation is partly dependent on the hydration level of the specimen. Also, the species is sensitive to ozone
concentrations: ozone fumigation results in biophysical, physiological, and structural impairment of specimens.
P. furfuracea has also been used to monitor the levels of radionuclide
s such as Cesium-137 in Austria
after the Chernobyl nuclear accident.
s trypsin
and porcine pancreatic elastase
. Research suggests that the biosynthesis of both atranorin and physodic acid is influenced by the cooperation of epiphytic bacteria.
A number of sterol
compounds have been identified from P. furfuracea, including ergosterol peroxide, ergosterol
and lichosterol.
Lichen
Lichens are composite organisms consisting of a symbiotic organism composed of a fungus with a photosynthetic partner , usually either a green alga or cyanobacterium...
ized species of fungus that grows on the bark
Bark
Bark is the outermost layers of stems and roots of woody plants. Plants with bark include trees, woody vines and shrubs. Bark refers to all the tissues outside of the vascular cambium and is a nontechnical term. It overlays the wood and consists of the inner bark and the outer bark. The inner...
of fir
Fir
Firs are a genus of 48–55 species of evergreen conifers in the family Pinaceae. They are found through much of North and Central America, Europe, Asia, and North Africa, occurring in mountains over most of the range...
s and pine
Pine
Pines are trees in the genus Pinus ,in the family Pinaceae. They make up the monotypic subfamily Pinoideae. There are about 115 species of pine, although different authorities accept between 105 and 125 species.-Etymology:...
s. The lichen is rather sensitive to air pollution
Air pollution
Air pollution is the introduction of chemicals, particulate matter, or biological materials that cause harm or discomfort to humans or other living organisms, or cause damage to the natural environment or built environment, into the atmosphere....
, its presence usually indicating good air conditions in the growing place. The species has numerous human uses, including use in perfume, embalming and in medicine. Large amounts of tree moss is annually processed in France for the perfume industry.
Description
Pseudevernia furfuracea is associated with photobionts from the green algae genus TrebouxiaTrebouxia
In taxonomy, Trebouxia is a genus of algae, specifically of the Microthamniales.-Scientific databases:* * *...
. It reproduces asexually by isidia. The ontogeny
Ontogeny
Ontogeny is the origin and the development of an organism – for example: from the fertilized egg to mature form. It covers in essence, the study of an organism's lifespan...
of isidia development and its role in CO2 gas exchange in P. furfuracea has been investigated.
The preferred growing surfaces for P. furfuracea are the so-called "nutrient poor" bark trees, including birch
Birch
Birch is a tree or shrub of the genus Betula , in the family Betulaceae, closely related to the beech/oak family, Fagaceae. The Betula genus contains 30–60 known taxa...
, pine
Pine
Pines are trees in the genus Pinus ,in the family Pinaceae. They make up the monotypic subfamily Pinoideae. There are about 115 species of pine, although different authorities accept between 105 and 125 species.-Etymology:...
and spruce
Spruce
A spruce is a tree of the genus Picea , a genus of about 35 species of coniferous evergreen trees in the Family Pinaceae, found in the northern temperate and boreal regions of the earth. Spruces are large trees, from tall when mature, and can be distinguished by their whorled branches and conical...
.
The species has two morphologically identical varieties that are distinguished by the secondary metabolites they produce: var. ceratea Zopf. produces olivetoric acid and other physodic acids, while var. furfuracea produces physodic but not olivetoric acid. Some authors (e.g., Hale 1968) have separated the chemotype
Chemotype
Introduced by Pierre Franchomme in 1975 and formalized in the European Union in 2006 with the adoption of the regulation REACH, a chemotype is a chemically distinct entity in a plant or microorganism, with differences in the composition of the secondary metabolites...
s at the species level, designating the olivetoric acid-containing specimens as Pseudevernia olivetorina, but more recent literature separates them at the varietal level.
Perfumes
Large amounts of tree moss (approximately 1900 tons in 1997) are processed in GrasseGrasse
-See also:*Route Napoléon*Ancient Diocese of Grasse*Communes of the Alpes-Maritimes department-External links:*...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
for the perfume
Perfume
Perfume is a mixture of fragrant essential oils and/or aroma compounds, fixatives, and solvents used to give the human body, animals, objects, and living spaces "a pleasant scent"...
industry.
Embalming
In ancient EgyptAncient Egypt
Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh...
ian embalming
Embalming
Embalming, in most modern cultures, is the art and science of temporarily preserving human remains to forestall decomposition and to make them suitable for public display at a funeral. The three goals of embalming are thus sanitization, presentation and preservation of a corpse to achieve this...
, P. furfuracea was found packed into the body cavity of mummies
Mummy
A mummy is a body, human or animal, whose skin and organs have been preserved by either intentional or incidental exposure to chemicals, extreme coldness , very low humidity, or lack of air when bodies are submerged in bogs, so that the recovered body will not decay further if kept in cool and dry...
, although it is not certain whether this was done because of the supposed preservative properties or the aromatic properties of the lichen.
Antimicrobial activity
Soluble extracts from P. furfuracea var. furfuracea and var. ceratea, as well as specific compounds found therein, have antimicrobial activity against a variety of microorganisms.Medicinal use
In AlfacarAlfacar
Alfacar is an historic town situated approximately 8 kilometres from the city of Granada, in the autonomous Spanish region of Andalucia. The town is situated on the edge of the Sierra de Huétor Natural Park and is located in a region of intensive olive production...
and Viznar
Víznar
Víznar is a municipality located in the province of Granada, Spain, only a few miles from the city of Granada itself. According to the 2005 census , the town has a population of 789 inhabitants....
, Andalucia (Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
), P. furfuracea is used for respiratory complaints. The thallus is washed and boiled for a long time to prepare a decoction
Decoction
Decoction is a method of extraction, by boiling, of dissolved chemicals, or herbal or plant material, which may include stems, roots, bark and rhizomes. Decoction involves first mashing, and then boiling in water to extract oils, volatile organic compounds, and other chemical substances...
which is drunk.
Water extracts of this species have been shown to have a potent protective effect on genotoxicity caused by bismuth
Bismuth
Bismuth is a chemical element with symbol Bi and atomic number 83. Bismuth, a trivalent poor metal, chemically resembles arsenic and antimony. Elemental bismuth may occur naturally uncombined, although its sulfide and oxide form important commercial ores. The free element is 86% as dense as lead...
compounds such as colloidal bismuth subcitrate.
Heavy metal sorption
P. furfuracea has been investigated for its ability to absorb heavy metals from solution. The metal-binding biosorption for copperCopper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
(II) and nickel
Nickel
Nickel is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Ni and atomic number 28. It is a silvery-white lustrous metal with a slight golden tinge. Nickel belongs to the transition metals and is hard and ductile...
(II) was shown to follow the Langmuir and Freundlich
Freundlich equation
The Freundlich equation or Freundlich adsorption isotherm is an adsorption isotherm, which is a curve relating the concentration of a solute on the surface of an adsorbent, to the concentration of the solute in the liquid with which it is in contact...
isotherm models, suggesting it may have potential as a biosorbent for treatment of heavy metal wastes.
Pollution monitors
Because specimens of P. furfuracea tend to bioaccumulateBioaccumulation
Bioaccumulation refers to the accumulation of substances, such as pesticides, or other organic chemicals in an organism. Bioaccumulation occurs when an organism absorbs a toxic substance at a rate greater than that at which the substance is lost...
heavy metals like Cr
Chromium
Chromium is a chemical element which has the symbol Cr and atomic number 24. It is the first element in Group 6. It is a steely-gray, lustrous, hard metal that takes a high polish and has a high melting point. It is also odorless, tasteless, and malleable...
, Zn
Zinc
Zinc , or spelter , is a metallic chemical element; it has the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. It is the first element in group 12 of the periodic table. Zinc is, in some respects, chemically similar to magnesium, because its ion is of similar size and its only common oxidation state is +2...
, Cd
Cadmium
Cadmium is a chemical element with the symbol Cd and atomic number 48. This soft, bluish-white metal is chemically similar to the two other stable metals in group 12, zinc and mercury. Similar to zinc, it prefers oxidation state +2 in most of its compounds and similar to mercury it shows a low...
, Pb
Lead
Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed...
, Ni
Nickel
Nickel is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Ni and atomic number 28. It is a silvery-white lustrous metal with a slight golden tinge. Nickel belongs to the transition metals and is hard and ductile...
, Fe
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
, Mn
Manganese
Manganese is a chemical element, designated by the symbol Mn. It has the atomic number 25. It is found as a free element in nature , and in many minerals...
and Cu
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
proportional to their concentration in airborne particulates, they may be used as a biomonitor of air quality, although it has been noted that both trace metal
Trace metal
Trace metals are metals in extremely small quantities that reside in or are present in animal and plant cells and tissue. They are a necessary part of good nutrition, although they can be toxic if ingested in excess quantities....
accumulation and major element accumulation is partly dependent on the hydration level of the specimen. Also, the species is sensitive to ozone
Ozone
Ozone , or trioxygen, is a triatomic molecule, consisting of three oxygen atoms. It is an allotrope of oxygen that is much less stable than the diatomic allotrope...
concentrations: ozone fumigation results in biophysical, physiological, and structural impairment of specimens.
P. furfuracea has also been used to monitor the levels of radionuclide
Radionuclide
A radionuclide is an atom with an unstable nucleus, which is a nucleus characterized by excess energy available to be imparted either to a newly created radiation particle within the nucleus or to an atomic electron. The radionuclide, in this process, undergoes radioactive decay, and emits gamma...
s such as Cesium-137 in Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
after the Chernobyl nuclear accident.
Bioactive compounds
In addition to the physodic acid mentioned above, P. furfuracea also contains 2-hydroxy-4-methoxy-3,6-dimethyl benzoic acid, atranorin, oxyphysodic acid, and virensic acid. Of these compounds, atranorin showed the highest inhibition of proteolytic enzymeEnzyme
Enzymes are proteins that catalyze chemical reactions. In enzymatic reactions, the molecules at the beginning of the process, called substrates, are converted into different molecules, called products. Almost all chemical reactions in a biological cell need enzymes in order to occur at rates...
s trypsin
Trypsin
Trypsin is a serine protease found in the digestive system of many vertebrates, where it hydrolyses proteins. Trypsin is produced in the pancreas as the inactive proenzyme trypsinogen. Trypsin cleaves peptide chains mainly at the carboxyl side of the amino acids lysine or arginine, except when...
and porcine pancreatic elastase
Elastase
In molecular biology, elastase is an enzyme from the class of proteases that break down proteins.- Forms and classification:There exist eight human genes for elastase:Bacterial forms: Organisms such as P...
. Research suggests that the biosynthesis of both atranorin and physodic acid is influenced by the cooperation of epiphytic bacteria.
A number of sterol
Sterol
Sterols, also known as steroid alcohols, are a subgroup of the steroids and an important class of organic molecules. They occur naturally in plants, animals, and fungi, with the most familiar type of animal sterol being cholesterol...
compounds have been identified from P. furfuracea, including ergosterol peroxide, ergosterol
Ergosterol
Ergosterol is a sterol found in fungi, and named for ergot, a common name for the members of the fungal genus Claviceps from which ergosterol was first isolated. Ergosterol does not occur in plant or animal cells...
and lichosterol.
External links
- Pseudevernia furfuracea at Index FungorumIndex FungorumIndex Fungorum, an international project to index all formal names in the Fungi Kingdom. Somewhat comparable to the IPNI, but with more contributing institutions....