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Citation for Study 16743

About Citation title: "On the taxonomic identity of a fungal morph used in traditional medicine in Kerala State, India".
About Study name: "On the taxonomic identity of a fungal morph used in traditional medicine in Kerala State, India".
About This study is part of submission 16743 (Status: Published).

Citation

Latha K., Veluthoor S., & Manimohan P. 2015. On the taxonomic identity of a fungal morph used in traditional medicine in Kerala State, India. Phytotaxa, 201(4): 287?295.

Authors

  • Latha K.
  • Veluthoor S.
  • Manimohan P.

Abstract

A hypogeal fungus, referred to in the local Malayalam language as nilamanga (meaning hypogeal mango) is often used by traditional healers and tribal people in Kerala State, India as a cure for an assortment of ailments. Taxonomic identity of this fungal morph has long intrigued mycologists starting from M. J. Berkeley who named it as Sclerotium stipitatum Berk. & Curr. in 1860. Its unique morphology and total lack of spores of any kind defied proper identification. Molecular phylogenetic methods unequivocally prove that a nilamanga specimen that we obtained recently from Kerala is a Xylaria species sharing 99% sequence similarity with X. acuminatilongissima, a termite associated species first reported from Taiwan. The hypogeal origin of nilamanga specimens indicate that they could very well be growing on abandoned subterranean termite nests. The sterile structures can be considered as a morphologically variable, multihyphal aggregated sclerotial stage of the fungus that can remain dormant or quiescent when the environment is unfavourable.

Keywords

medicinal mushroom, Xylaria, traditional medicine, nilamanga, Sclerotium stipitatum

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  • Canonical resource URI: http://purl.org/phylo/treebase/phylows/study/TB2:S16743
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