Biological, chemical and ecological properties of Armillaria mellea (Vahl) P. Kumm | Agata Sośnicka, Sandra Górska, Jadwiga Turło | EDUKACJA BIOLOGICZNA I ŚRODOWISKOWA 2/2018 10 Introduction some people might have difficulties with digesting it, Biological, chemical and hence major care should be taken when preparing and The name Armillaria descends from the Latin word consuming it (Gumińska and Wojewoda, 1988). Lit- ecological properties of armillaria which means a bracelet, a bangle or an ep- erature documents the fungus to taste mild to bitter aulette and which relates to a characteristic of most of with a rather sweet scent (Lisiewska and Szmid, 1972). Armillaria mellea (Vahl) Armillaria species, a broad, persistent, skin-like ring Fruiting bodies of fungi owe their culinary popularity attached to the upper part of the stipe (Gębska, 2009). to their flavour and texture as well, but mostly to their P. Kumm Armillaria mellea, commonly known as a honey nutritional values as they are known to be healthy, low mushroom, belongs to a wide taxonomic group with the in calories, high in proteins, vitamins, some micro- and Agata Sośnicka, Sandra Górska, Jadwiga Turło following classification: Fungi, Dikarya, Basidiomycota, macroelements and they contain chitin, fibres and min- Agaricomycotina, Agaricomycetes, Agaricomycetidae, erals (Ouzouni et al., 2009). DOI: 10.24131/3247.180202 Agaricales, Tricholomataceae, Armillaria (Kabulska, A. mellea is a saprophytic, parasitic and mycorrhizal Streszczenie: 2015). fungus that belongs to a wide group called white-rot Armillaria mellea is a commonly occurring fungi species, Mellea, though it means honey, specifically refers to fungi. Fungi that are members of this group have the NAUKA belonging to the Basidiomycota division. As an edible fun- the appearance of caps, not to the flavour or scent that ability to degrade cellulose and lignin in any wooden gus, A. mellea’s fruiting bodies and rhizomorphs are rich in sometimes can be misled. material. As a saprophytic fungus its fruiting body, also high amounts of polysaccharides, proteins, fats and other It is significant to point out that though the name known as a stump, develops on hardwood although can elements. The species has also been found to be a medicinal Armillaria mellea is well established in literature, the grow on any wooden material. The second form is a par- fungus as its curing properties have been proven by results forms of the honey fungus are variable and the taxon- asitical form that infects roots of living trees, causes of many pieces of research. A. mellea shows a number of omists are not unanimous about the interpretation of mortality, wood decay and growth reduction. The last interesting abilities, mainly it is capable of bioluminescence the species, hence it is common to come across in liter- form is a mycorrhizal co-living with several species, and forms mycelial cords. These are a tool for conducting ature the phrase Armillaria complex (Cha et al., 1994) e.g. Gastrodia elata (Kikuchi et al., 2008) (Redfern and SZKOŁA nutrients but also infecting adjacent plants, which makes (Bérubé and Dessureault, 1989). The Armillaria com- Filip, 1991). the species a dangerous plant pathogen. Due to the ability plex consists of several species that are very difficult to of degrading wood components with the use of the enzy- distinguish even by specialists. matic ligninolytic complex, the fungus has been classified Species description as a member of a wide fungal group called white-rot fungi. The species (young fruiting bodies) is considered to Fungi belonging to this group are capable of breaking down be edible when thoroughly cooked and there are a few Morphology and characteristics ways of culinary processing it. Though the cases of be- many hazardous environment pollutants, which raises an Among the fungi within Armillaria genus, Armil- ing allergic to the honey mushroom were reported and KRÓTKO argument to apply them in mycoremediation. laria mellea belongs to the group of fungi whose fruit- Słowa kluczowe: Armillaria mellea; Rhizomorphs; Biolumi- ing bodies show regular macroscopic characteristics. nescence; Medicinal fungi; Plant pathogen; White-rot fungi; The mentioned features involve the presence of gills Mycoremediation mgr Sandra Górska: Master of Microbiology, Department on hymenium that can be either adnate or subdecur- of Drug Technology and Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, otrzymano: 18.06.2018; przyjęto: 10.07.2018; opublikowano: 31.08.2018 Medical University of Warsaw rent and a ring on a stipe. A cap can be convex or flat (O’Reilly, 2011). The pileus is usually honey coloured but mgr Agata Sośnicka: Master of Pharmacy, Department prof. Jadwiga Turło: Professor, Doctor of Pharmacy, can differ from almost white to dark reddish brown and of Drug Technology and Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Department of Drug Technology and Pharmaceutical the surface is smooth, with no squamule. The detailed Medical University of Warsaw Biotechnology, Medical University of Warsaw characteristics of the species are listed in table 1. EDUKACJA BIOLOGICZNA I ŚRODOWISKOWA | ebis.ibe.edu.pl | [email protected] | © for the article by the Authors 2018 © for the edition by Instytut Badań Edukacyjnych 2018 Biological, chemical and ecological properties of Armillaria mellea (Vahl) P. Kumm | Agata Sośnicka, Sandra Górska, Jadwiga Turło | EDUKACJA BIOLOGICZNA I ŚRODOWISKOWA 2/2018 11 1.6-7.5 cm in diameter, abruptly conic to composed of wide, empty vessel hyphae surrounded by is most likely the Dutch coast and south border is Sicily convex when young, plano-convex, finally narrower sheathing hyphae. Cords may look similar to (Majdańska, 2007) A. mellea is distributed on all con- plane; surface dry, yellow to olive brown, plant roots, and also often have similar functions- are tinents but most widely in temperate regions: Britain, dark yellowish brown to dark olive brown at center, sometimes very dark grayish capable of conducting nutrients over long distances Ireland, North America and throughout mainland Eu- brown, pigments scattered on the surface, Pileus (cap) though this is not the only function they have. Parasitic rope, though rarely found in Scandinavia. somewhat covered with dark yellowish- fungi, such as A. mellea, use rhizomorphs to invade the There are over 40 species in the genusArmillaria -brown fine fibers toward the center. Margin usually inrolled when young then soil and attack the roots of the trees, this being the rea- described worldwide and 5 of them can be found in Po- acute later, concolorous with a cap or son of forest’s destruction as the direct contact between land such as Armillaria borealis, A. gallica, A. cepistipes, somewhat darker later. Flesh firm, thin to a diseased and a healthy tree it not needed to spread the A. ostoyae and A. mellea (Stasiak, 2008). It was reported thick at center; cortex white. infection within mycelial cords. that in these regions the highest growth of fruiting bod- 0.6-3.8 × 0.2-0.8 cm, white to yellow to- ward the margin when young then yellow Another interesting property of A. mellea is biolu- ies is observed between July and November. Lamellae (gills) to yellowish brown in age, close, decurrent minescence. The light produced by Armillaria has been Life cycle to falcate-decurrent. recognized and therefore documented for more than Central, 3.6-10 × 0.4-1.0 cm, cylindric, equal a century (Murrill, 1915). Although the mycelia and Among the Basidiomycetes it is common for the veg- NAUKA to slightly tapered from base to apex, pale yellow to yellow at the apex and very dark rhizomorphs of Armillaria are bioluminescent, light etative stage to be dikaryotic, nevertheless, Amillaria grayish brown to very dark brown toward has not been observed in fruiting bodies (Mihail and genus tend to have it diploid (Korhonen and Hintikka, the base, longitudinally fibrillose-striate, Bruhn, 2007) (Mihail, 2015). The luminescence of the 1974). covered with fibrous scales of yellow at Stipe (stalk; stem) the apex and pale yellow toward the base, fungal organs is a physiological phenomenon depen- The life cycle of Armillaria begins with the fusion solid. Annulus membranous, thick, usu- dent on the intracellular processes as well as the envi- of two hyphae of different mating types (“+” and “-“) ally unbroken and attached to the stipe, ronmental conditions such as the oxygen and humidity of the haploid primary mycelium. During the interac- white with yellow fibers on the back-side. levels (Stasiak, 2008). Fungal bioluminescence has been A broad persistent skin-like ring attached tion in the plasmogamy process, the hyphal cells be- SZKOŁA to the upper part of the stipe. linked to metabolic activity due to suggestions for it to come dikaryotic and they give a start for the growth of White in mass, subglobose, broadly el- be a NAD(P)H-dependent system in A. mellea (Weitz the dikaryotic secondary mycelium, which with time Spores liptic, with an apiculus, 10-13.5 × 6-8 µm, et al., 2002). Some researchers believed that biolumi- forms a fully grown dikaryotic fruiting body. Gills of smooth, hyaline, nonamyloid. nescence is performed to attract the spore-dispersing the fruiting body’s cap are lined with dikaryotic ba- invertebrates or predators of fungivores (Desjardin et sidia, forming basidiocarps. There, in basidiocarps, the Table 1. Characteristics of A. mellea species (Majdańska, al., 2008) (Weitz, 2004), however, this was only a hy- 2007) (Cha and Igarashi, 1995a) (Lisiewska and Szmid, 1972) next stage, karyogamy, takes place. The fusion of nuclei pothesis and it seems more now that this process has occurring in basidia of a basidiocarp results in each of no ecological value and it is just a by-product of lignin them having a single haploid nucleus. When this stage is KRÓTKO What is more, A. mellea has the ability to produce degradation (Bermudes et al., 1992). finished, the basidia undergo meiosis forming four hap- tuber-like masses called sclerotia that are capable of loid nuclei which soon after give a start to four haploid Habitat sending out rhizomorphs (mycelial cords), linear aggre- basidiospores.