Studies on Phallus Rubicundus from India Growing in Almora City in Kumaun Himalaya
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Indian Phytopath. 66 (2) : 209-210 (2013) SHORT COMMUNICATION Studies on Phallus rubicundus from India growing in Almora city in Kumaun Himalaya R.C. GUPTA* Department of Botany, Kumaun University, SSJ Campus, Almora 263 601, Uttarakhand, India Key words: Mushroom, Phallus rubicundus, stinkhorn Almora district of Uttarakhand state in the Kumaun Himalaya White egg-like ovate to globose (2-3cm diam.) structures, is located at 29.62°N 79.67°E and at an average elevation about 6 in numbers, were recovered from the growing site of 1,651 m. The genus Phallus, commonly known almost embedded in soil with poor decomposed litter. One as stinkhorn. It is a member of phylum Basidiomycota which fully grown mushroom was 20 cm in height with reddish to produces foul-smelling, phallic mushrooms. They belong to pinkish stipe of 2 cm thickness. The wall of the stipe was the family Phallaceae in the order Phallales. The best known several chambers thick composed of isodiametric and species is the common stinkhorn Phallus impudicus. More pseudoparenchymatous cells. The apex was perforated in than hundred species of Phallus have been reported from various parts of the world. The extract of P. impudicus has mature basidiocarp and the top conical pileus at the apex been reported to show anti-tumour activity (1) and the was scarlet or blackish in colour. The became gleba dirty mushroom was also studied clinically, in relation to venous yellowish brown at the time of deliquescing emitting very thrombosis (2). foetid smell. The immature eggs were brought to the laboratory and the entire growth cycle was recorded. The During the course of investigation on wild mushrooms eggs (Fig.1a) started growing at 6 am and due to pressure in the Kumaun Himalaya, a pink or red stinkhorn mushroom of the internal structures the peridium broke resulting in was encountered growing in the heart of Almora city under a Ficus religiosa tree in the month of July 2011.The mushroom growth of a spongy stipe or receptacle with gleba at the apex. was identified as Phallus rubicundus (Bosc.) Fr. which is At 8 am the fully grown stinkhorn was 12 cm in length (Fig.1f) commonly known as Devil’s stinkhorn. Phallus indusiatus, a while in natural condition the length was about 20 cm (Fig.1g). long net stinkhorn or bridal veil fungus has been reported as In Dictyophora duplicata, a stinkhorn common to the eastern a new generic record from eastern ‘ghats’ of India (3). United States, the stipe fully expanded in 5 hr after the Phallus rubicundus was originally described from South Carolina by Bosc, in 1811 (4); it has since been described from Texas and Africa and reliably reported from Australia to Italy. The fascinating Phallus rubicundus is often misidentified as a Mutinus but close observation reveals that P. rubicundus has a clearly distinguished, separate head that holds the spore-saturated brown slime whereas the species of Mutinus bear their slime on the upper part of a stem structure that is devoid of a clearly distinguished head. The collected mushrooms were growing alone or gregariously in gardens, flowerbeds, meadows, lawns, wood chips, sawdust piles, cultivated areas (including soybean fields), and so on including under a tree in the main city area. The substrate had very little soil and decomposing leaf litter but, the area was quite moist due to leakage from a nearby municipal water source. The mushroom has been reported to grow in spring and summer, or in winter in warmer climates. In the present case also the P.rubicundus was colleted in the month of July, 2011. The specimen has been deposited in the Department of Botany, Kumaun University Campus, Almora with Accession No. Alm.1000. Fig. 1. Phallus rubicundus growing in Almora city-a. egg, b. Growth starting at 6 am, c. At 6.35 am. d at 10 am, e. at 11 am, f. at *Corresponding author: [email protected] 12.15 pm, g. Full growth (2x) at 1 pm, h.a fly visits gleba 210 Indian Phytopathology 66 (2) : 209-210 (2013) peridium splitted under favourable conditions (5). The mature, REFERENCES sweat and sticky gleba emitted nauseating odour attracting 1. Kuznecova, G., Jegina, K., Kuznecovs, S. and Kuznecovs, flies (Fig.1h) which helped in disseminating the I. (2007). The Breast 16 (S1): S562. basidiospores. At the egg stage, pieces of the inner layer 2. Petrova, R.D., Reznick, A.Z., Wasser, S.P., Denchev, C.M., (the receptaculum) of the stinkhorn can be cut out with a Nevo, E. and Mahajna, J. 2008).Oncology reports 19 (2): 299- knife and eaten raw (6). They are crisp and crunchy with an 308. attractive radishy taste (7). The fungus is enjoyed and eaten 3. Brown, N., Bhagwat, S. and Watkinson, S. (2006). J. Appl. Ecol. 43(1): 11-17. in France and parts of Germany, where it is sold fresh or pickled and used in sausages (8). Similar species are 4. Fries, E.M. (1823). Systema Mycologium vol.2: 284. consumed in China also. 5. Herrick, J.A.(1950). Tur tox News 28(1): 3. 6. Marcel, B. (1987). The Mushrooms and Toadstools of Britain ACKNOWLEDGMENT and North-western Europe. London, UK: Hodder & Stoughton. p. 300. The author is thankful to Prof. P.C. Pande, Head, Department 7. Elio, S. (1998). In: The Company of Mushrooms; A Biologista’s of Botany, Kumaun University, Sobhan Singh Jeena Campus, Tale, Cambridge, UK: Harvard University Press. pp. 172-73. Almora, for laboratory facilities and to the Director, 8. Linus, Z. (1976). Wild Mushrooms: An Illustrated Handbook. Vivekanand Parvatiya Krishi Anusandhan Sansthan, for Hertfordshire, UK: Garden City Press. library facilities. Thanks are also due to University Grants Received for publication: June 11, 2012 Commission for providing financial assistance. Accepted for publication: October 06, 2012.