Family Fistulinaceae Lotsy

Taxonomy

In these two excerpts below, Rolf Singer (1986) discusses the nature of the Fistulina mushroom (sporocarp or carpophore). The spore-producing layer (hymenium) is on the inside of hollow tubes (fistules); this is a type of cyphelloid structure. These tubes are packed together under a pileus-like structure (stroma) giving it the appearance of a polypore.

Singer (1986) pages 17–18:

It is premature to discuss the nature of such stromatoid (white) formations which serve as a base for several cyphelloid carpophores, and compare them with the protocarpic tubers. One example of such common bases has been observed in a group of still insufficiently studied species of Calyptella (Tricholomataceae). Another such example would be Fistulina whose position in the Agaricales is still highly controversial. In the case of Fistulina, the stromatic formations bearing the cyphelloid carpophores, assume the shape of a pileus and the cyphelloid carpophores are so densely aggregated that they may be interpreted as tubes of a tubular hymenophore. No wonder then, that the Fistulinaceae are still considered aphyllophoraceous by most mycologists although Lohwag and Bondarzew & Singer have repeatedly affirmed the affinity of Fistulina with cyphelliform Basidiomycetes (see also p. 843).

Singer (1986) page 843:

Fistulina Bull. ex Fr., Syst. Mycol. 1: 396. 1821. This, together with Pseudofistulina and Fistulinella, is usually combined into a family Fistulinaceae Lotsy (tribus Fistulineae Schroter; order Fistulinales Jülich) and placed in the Aphyllophorales. As for Pseudofistulina O. & K. Fidalgo, this is justified whereas Fistulinella is boletaceous (see p. 796). The gelatinizing of the trama in Fistulina - I am familiar with F. hepatica, F. endoxantha, and F. antarctica - and the acanthophysoid hairs of Pseudofistulina - I have studied material kindly sent by its author and think that F. radicata is congeneric* - suggest that here we have forms of cyphellaceous fungi with a protocarpic false carpophore (the "pileus" and "stipe") which show strong similarities with cyphelloid reduced agarics, particularly Stromatocyphella (p. 345), and perhaps with such protocarp-producing groups as Syncyphella (p. 338) and the genus Mycoalvimia (p. 433). It appears probable therefore that the Fistulinaceae should be added as a further family close to the Tricholomataceae of the Agaricales. I am not at present ready to introduce Fistulinaceae as a family of the Agaricales, because 1 believe that additional studies will be required to substantiate this position. It is certain, however, that the Fistulinaceae are very isolated among the polypores and Aphyllophorales.

*Pseudofistulina radicata (Schwein.) Sing. c.n. (Boletus radicatus Schwein., Acta Soc. Nat. Scrut. Lips. 1: 100. 1822).

References

1. Binder, M., D. S. Hibbet, K.-H. Larsson, E. Larsson, F. Langer, G. Langer. 2005. The phylogenetic distribution of resupinate forms across the major clades of mushroom-forming fungi (Homobasidiomycetes). Systematics and Biodiversity 3(2): 113-157. DOI: 10.1017/S1477200005001623
2. Singer, R. 1986. The Agaricales in modern taxonomy, 4th fully rev. ed. Koenigstein, Federal Republic of Germany : Koeltz Scientific Books.
3. David Humphries. Confistulina: a rare and little-known state of Fistulina hepatica. Publication: April 2017. Field Mycology 18(2): 54-57. DOI: 10.1016/j.fldmyc.2017.04.005. Online version: August 1, 2017. Article on arbtalk.co.uk.
4. forgottenwoods, May 4, 2017. Fistulina hepatica’s anamorphic version: Confistulina. Article on Arboriculture.

Taxon links for 80774 Fistulinaceae

• Index Fungorum
• MycoBank
• Compare Index Fungorum and Mycobank.