Auricularia is a genus of fungi in the family Auriculariaceae. Basidiocarps (fruit bodies) are typically gelatinous and ear-shaped, with a slightly downy to conspicuously hirsute upper surface and an under surface that is smooth, wrinkled or veined. All species grow on wood. Several Auricularia species are edible and commercially cultivated on a large scale in China and East Asia.
Taxonomy
The genus was first introduced in 1780 by French mycologist Pierre Bulliard for a range of different fungi producing fruit bodies with an ear-like shape. In 1822 Christian Hendrik Persoon restricted the genus to two gelatinous species, Auricularia mesenterica (which became the type species) and A. sambuci (a synonym of Auricularia auricula-judae). In 1848 Swedish mycologist Elias Magnus Fries accepted A. mesenterica within the genus but, on the basis of differences in fruitbody appearance, introduced a new genus, Hirneola, for most other species. This division into two genera was maintained by some authors until at least the 1960s, though American mycologist Bernard Lowy's monograph of the genus had accepted Hirneola as a synonym of Auricularia in 1952 .
Molecular research, based on cladistic analysis of DNA sequences, has shown that Auricularia (including Hirneola) forms a natural, monophyletic grouping. It has also shown that many species are more restricted in distribution than previously thought, resulting in the description of additional new taxa.
Description All species of Auricularia form thin, brownish, rubbery-gelatinous fruit bodies that are shelf-like or ear-shaped and up to across and thick. The fruitbodies occur singly or in clusters. The upper surface is finely pilose to densely hirsute. The spore-bearing underside is smooth, wrinkled, veined, or reticulate (net-like). Unpigmented white forms are occasionally encountered.
Microscopic characters The spore-producing basidia are tubular, laterally septate, and (in some species) up to 100 μm long. The spores are allantoid (sausage-shaped), and (in some species) up to 22 μm long. Hairs on the upper surface are thick-walled, rounded or acute at the tip, and (in some species) up to long. When sectioned, some species show a central, medulla layer of parallel hyphae, others lack such a layer.
Habitat, ecology and distribution All species grow on wood and are saprotrophic wood-rotters, producing a white rot. Most occur on dead wood, but they can also be weakly parasitic on living wood. The majority of species grow on broadleaf trees and shrubs, but a few grow on conifers. Fruit bodies occur singly, in clusters, or in tiers.
The genus has a global distribution, with some species confined to the tropics, others to north temperate regions, and others to south temperate regions.
Uses At least three species are commercially cultivated for food on a large scale in China and East Asia. They include Auricularia heimuer (black wood ear or cloud ear), formerly misdetermined as Auricularia auricula-judae; Auricularia cornea (hairy wood ear), formerly denoted as A. polytricha; and Auricularia villosula.
Other species are eaten locally around the world. A study on the use of fungi by the Bini people of southern Nigeria found that the local inhabitants collected and ate a species similar to A. auricula-judae, but that it was not one of the fungi they used medicinally. Collection of Auricularia species has also been documented in Nepal. However, the Nepalese do not consider them all that good for eating; of the three grades given to edible fungi, they were given the worst. Additional places where Auricularia species have been recorded as locally gathered and consumed include Benin, Chile, Fiji, Ghana, Guatemala, India, Indonesia, Madagascar, Mexico, Mozambique, and Poland.
Several species, including the Asian cultivated species and the European A. auricula-judae (jelly ear or jew's ear), have been used in traditional medicine. They have also been investigated for potential pharmaceutical use.
Species
Image Name Type Location Distribution Auricularia africana Y.C. Dai & F. Wu (2021) Uganda East Africa Auricularia albida (Romell) Rick (1958) Paraguay Paraguay Auricularia americana Parmasto & I. Parmasto ex Audet, Boulet & Sirard (2003)Canada North America, China, Russian Far East Auricularia angiospermarum Y.C. Dai, F. Wu & D.W. Li (2015)United States North America Auricularia asiatica Bandara & K.D. Hyde (2016)Thailand China, Thailand, Indonesia Auricularia auricula-judae (Bull.) Quél. (1886)France Europe Auricularia australiana Y.C. Dai & F. Wu (2021) Australia Australia Auricularia brasiliana Y.C. Dai & F. Wu (2015) Brazil Brazil Auricularia camposii Y.C. Dai & F. Wu (2021) Brazil Brazil Auricularia cerrina Kout & Wu 2022 Czech Republic Czech Republic Auricularia conferta Y.C. Dai & F. Wu (2021) Australia Australia Auricularia cornea Ehrenb. (1820) Hawaii Africa, South Asia, North America (Mexico), South America, South Pacific Islands, Australia, New Zealand Auricularia delicata (Mont. ex Fr.) Henn. (1893) Guinea West Africa Auricularia discensa Lloyd (1919) Brazil Brazil Auricularia eburnea L.J. Li & B. Liu (1985) China China Auricularia eminii Henn. (1893) Congo Africa Auricularia eximia (Berk. & Cooke) Kobayasi (1981) Brazil Brazil Auricularia fibrillifera Kobayasi (1973) Papua New Guinea New Guinea, China, Africa Auricularia fuscosuccinea (Mont.) Henn. (1893) Cuba North America (Mexico, Florida), South America, Caribbean Auricularia goossensiae Beeli (1926) Congo Congo Auricularia hainanensis L.J. Li (1987) China China Auricularia heimuer F. Wu, B.K. Cui & Y.C. Dai (2014)China China, Russian Far East, Japan (Aomori, Iwate, Niigata), Korea Auricularia hispida Iwade (1944) Japan Japan Auricularia incrassata Kobayasi (1973) Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea Auricularia indica Massee (1914) Singapore Singapore Auricularia lateralis Y.C. Dai & F. Wu (2021) China China Auricularia mesenterica (Dicks.) Pers. (1822) England Europe, Uzbekistan Auricularia minor Kobayasi (1981) Taiwan Taiwan Auricularia minutissima Y.C. Dai, F. Wu & Malysheva (2015) China China, Russian Far East, Japan (Chiba, Kanagawa, Tokyo, Tottori) Auricularia nigricans (Sw.) Birkebak, Looney & Sánchez-García (2013) Cuba North America (Mexico, Florida), Central and South America, Caribbean, southern and eastern Asia Auricularia novozealandica Y.C. Dai & F. Wu (2021) New Zealand New Zealand Auricularia olivaceus B. Kumari, R.C. Upadhyay & Atri (2013) India India Auricularia orientalis Y.C. Dai & F. Wu (2015) China China Auricularia papyracea Yasuda (1918) Japan Japan Auricularia peltata Lloyd (1922) Philippines Philippines Auricularia pilosa Y.C. Dai, L.W. Zhou & F. Wu (2021) Ethiopia East Africa Auricularia rosea Burt (1921) Costa Rica Costa Rica Auricularia scissa Looney, Birkebak & Matheny (2013) Dominican Republic North America (Mexico, Florida), Caribbean Auricularia semipellucida Kobayasi (1942) Taiwan Taiwan Auricularia sinodelicata Y.C. Dai & F. Wu (2021) China China Auricularia sordescens Ces. (1879) Malaysia Malaysia Auricularia srilankensis Y.C. Dai & F. Wu (2021) Sri Lanka Sri Lanka Auricularia stellata Lloyd (1922) Malaysia Malaysia Auricularia subglabra Looney, Birkebak & Matheny (2013)Costa Rica Central and South America Auricularia submesenterica Y.C. Dai & F. Wu (2021) China China Auricularia tenuis (Lév.) Farl. (1905) Indonesia Indonesia Auricularia thailandica Bandara & K.D. Hyde (2015) Thailand China, Thailand, Japan (Okinawa) Auricularia tibetica Y.C. Dai & F. Wu (2015) Tibet China, Tibet Auricularia villosula Malysheva (2014) Russian Far East China, Russian Far East, Japan (Chiba, Kanagawa, Tokyo, Hyogo) Auricularia wrightii (Berk. & M.A. Curtis) Farl. (1905) Cuba Cuba Auricularia xishaensis L.J. Li 1985 China China
References