Wynnea
Encyclopedia
Wynnea is a genus
of fungi in the Sarcoscyphaceae
family of cup-fungi
. First described by English naturalist Miles Joseph Berkeley
in 1866, the genus contains eight species that have ear-shaped fruiting bodies that grow on the ground. Wynnea species have a worldwide distribution and have been collected from the United States, Costa Rica, India, and China.
in 1866 to accommodate the species Wynnea gigantea and Peziza macrotis. The former specimen was collected by Botteri near Orizaba
, Mexico, and the latter had been described by Berkeley in his Journal of Botany and Kew Garden Miscellany (1851) Both species were subsequently illustrated in Cooke's Micrographia. No other collections of Wynnea were reported for several decades, and in Pier Andrea Saccardo
's Sylloge, the genus was reduced to synonymy with the genus Midotis. American mycologist Roland Thaxter
described a new species in 1905, W. americana, which was collected in Tennessee
.
, a hardened mass of mycelium
buried in the earth. The paraphyses (sterile cells interspersed amongst the asci
) are cylindrical, simple or branched. The spore
-producing structures, the asci
, are cylindrical, and taper to an elongated base that penetrate to underneath the hymenium
.
Like other members of the Sarcoscyphaceae
family, Wynnea species have multinucleate ascospores and paraphyses. The ascus has a thickened apical ring capped by a hinged operculum
; its opening often is oriented obliquely, a condition referred to as suboperculate. Three structural components are involved in spore discharge in Wynnea species: the operculum, the suboperculum, and the zone of dehiscence. Collectively, these three structures are known as the apical apparatus.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of fungi in the Sarcoscyphaceae
Sarcoscyphaceae
The Sarcoscyphaceae are a family of cup fungi in the Pezizales order. There are 13 genera and 102 species in the family. Members of this family are cosmopolitan in distribution, being found in both tropical and temperate regions.-External links:...
family of cup-fungi
Cup fungus
The Pezizaceae are a family of fungi in the Ascomycota which produce mushrooms that tends to grow in the shape of a "cup". Spores are formed on the inner surface of the fruit body . The cup shape typically serves to focus raindrops into splashing spores out of the cup...
. First described by English naturalist Miles Joseph Berkeley
Miles Joseph Berkeley
Miles Joseph Berkeley was an English cryptogamist and clergyman, and one of the founders of the science of plant pathology....
in 1866, the genus contains eight species that have ear-shaped fruiting bodies that grow on the ground. Wynnea species have a worldwide distribution and have been collected from the United States, Costa Rica, India, and China.
Taxonomy
The genus Wynnea was first described by English naturalist Miles Joseph BerkeleyMiles Joseph Berkeley
Miles Joseph Berkeley was an English cryptogamist and clergyman, and one of the founders of the science of plant pathology....
in 1866 to accommodate the species Wynnea gigantea and Peziza macrotis. The former specimen was collected by Botteri near Orizaba
Orizaba
Orizaba is a city and municipality in the Mexican state of Veracruz. It is located 20 km west of its sister city Córdoba, and is adjacent to Río Blanco and Ixtaczoquitlán, on Federal Highways 180 and 190. The city had a 2005 census population of 117,273 and is almost coextensive with its small...
, Mexico, and the latter had been described by Berkeley in his Journal of Botany and Kew Garden Miscellany (1851) Both species were subsequently illustrated in Cooke's Micrographia. No other collections of Wynnea were reported for several decades, and in Pier Andrea Saccardo
Pier Andrea Saccardo
Pier Andrea Saccardo was an Italian botanist and mycologist.- Life :...
's Sylloge, the genus was reduced to synonymy with the genus Midotis. American mycologist Roland Thaxter
Roland Thaxter
Roland Thaxter , the son of Celia Thaxter and Levi Thaxter, was an American mycologist. He was known for his work on the fungal grouping known as the Laboulbeniales, and published 21 papers on the subject. Thaxter served as editor of the journal Annals of Botany from 1907 to 1932...
described a new species in 1905, W. americana, which was collected in Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
.
Description
The fruiting bodies (technically called apothecia) are thick, firm, tough and become almost leathery after drying. Standing erect, the ear-shaped apothecia are several- to many-clustered on a common stalk that arises from a sclerotiumSclerotium
A sclerotium is a compact mass of hardened fungal mycelium containing food reserves. One role of sclerotia is to survive environmental extremes. In some higher fungi such as ergot, sclerotia become detached and remain dormant until a favorable opportunity for growth. Other fungi that produce...
, a hardened mass of mycelium
Mycelium
thumb|right|Fungal myceliaMycelium is the vegetative part of a fungus, consisting of a mass of branching, thread-like hyphae. The mass of hyphae is sometimes called shiro, especially within the fairy ring fungi. Fungal colonies composed of mycelia are found in soil and on or within many other...
buried in the earth. The paraphyses (sterile cells interspersed amongst the asci
Ascus
An ascus is the sexual spore-bearing cell produced in ascomycete fungi. On average, asci normally contain eight ascospores, produced by a meiotic cell division followed, in most species, by a mitotic cell division. However, asci in some genera or species can number one , two, four, or multiples...
) are cylindrical, simple or branched. The spore
Ascospore
An ascospore is a spore contained in an ascus or that was produced inside an ascus. This kind of spore is specific to fungi classified as ascomycetes ....
-producing structures, the asci
Ascus
An ascus is the sexual spore-bearing cell produced in ascomycete fungi. On average, asci normally contain eight ascospores, produced by a meiotic cell division followed, in most species, by a mitotic cell division. However, asci in some genera or species can number one , two, four, or multiples...
, are cylindrical, and taper to an elongated base that penetrate to underneath the hymenium
Hymenium
The hymenium is the tissue layer on the hymenophore of a fungal fruiting body where the cells develop into basidia or asci, which produce spores. In some species all of the cells of the hymenium develop into basidia or asci, while in others some cells develop into sterile cells called cystidia or...
.
Like other members of the Sarcoscyphaceae
Sarcoscyphaceae
The Sarcoscyphaceae are a family of cup fungi in the Pezizales order. There are 13 genera and 102 species in the family. Members of this family are cosmopolitan in distribution, being found in both tropical and temperate regions.-External links:...
family, Wynnea species have multinucleate ascospores and paraphyses. The ascus has a thickened apical ring capped by a hinged operculum
Operculum (botany)
An operculum, in botany, is a term generally used to describe a structure within a plant, moss, or fungus acting as a cap, flap, or lid. In plants, it may also be called a bud cap.Examples of structures identified as opercula include:...
; its opening often is oriented obliquely, a condition referred to as suboperculate. Three structural components are involved in spore discharge in Wynnea species: the operculum, the suboperculum, and the zone of dehiscence. Collectively, these three structures are known as the apical apparatus.
Distribution
Wynnea species have a worldwide distribution. They have been collected from several North American locations; in the United States, they have been found in Tennessee, New York, West Virginia, North Carolina, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. Wynnea species have also been collected in Costa Rica, and India. W. macrospora and W. sinensis are found in Guizhou Province, China.Species
There are eight species described in the genus Wynnea:- W. americanaWynnea americanaWynnea americana, commonly known as moose antlers or rabbit ears, is a species of fungus in the Sarcoscyphaceae family. This uncommon inedible species is recognizable by its spoon-shaped or rabbit-ear shaped fruit bodies that may reach up to tall...
- W. frominda
- W. gigantea
- W. intermedia
- W. macrospora
- W. mactrotis
- The spoon-shaped apothecia originate from a fleshy, brown, underground sclerotium; the external surface color is brown when fresh, and dark brown on drying; the height may reach 5 to 8 cm (2 to 3.1 in). This is one of the original Wynnea species, and was first named Peziza macrotitis when first described in 1851, later named Wynnea macrotis by Berkeley, and then again to Midotis macrotis by Saccardo in 1889. It was collected again in India (West Bengal) and redescribed in 1969.
- W. sinensis
- W. sparassoides
- This species has a roughly oval head that is 6 to 8 cm (2.4 to 3.1 in) wide connected to a stipe that is up to 30 centimetres (11.8 in) long by 2 – wide.