Devil's Tooth - Hydnellum Peckii

Devil's tooth - Hydnellum peckii

This post will specifically discuss the 'blood' or red liquid that Hydnellum peckii leaks.

While the adult fungus has a beige colour, the younger has a white colour and ''bleeds'' from its pores.

The red liquid the young Devil's tooth leaks is much alike to sap, caused by guttation*. When the soil surrounding the mycelium becomes very moist, it can force water into the mycelium's roots through the process of osmosis. The buildup of moisture creates a pressure within the fungus. Which, when high enough, forces the liquid to the surface of the fungi, causing it to ''bleed''. The liquid appears red thanks to the pigments found within the fungus.¹

The red liquid is actually called ''extracellular fluid''. It is thought to be a defensive mechanism of thd fungus with the goal to keep it from getting eaten by animals, or, attracting insects to help spread its spores.²

Chemical properties and medical applications

The red sap contains a chemical compound called atromentin, which has anticoagulant properties and is commonly used to help prevent blood clots from forming. The pigment-producing compound found in several fungi species, atromenin also acts as a smooth muscle stimulant and has antibacterial and antineoplastic (anticancer) properties.³

The Devil's tooth image:

AmazingLife.Bio

The Devil's Tooth (Hydnellum peckii)

This mushroom looks like something out of a horror movie, but the scariest thing about it is its taste.

Information sources:

1.

American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)

Weird & Wonderful Creatures: Bleeding Tooth Fungus

Some people think this fungus looks like a bloody tooth, while others think it resembles a tasty pastry. What do you think?

2.

https://soil.evs.buffalo.edu/index.php/Hydnellum_peckii

Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay

Its allliiive, Devil Tooth Fungus - Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay

Hold you’re your hiking stick, because Devil Tooth Fungus might cause quite the fright if you look down and happen to see it.

3.

https://soil.evs.buffalo.edu/index.php/Hydnellum_peckii

More about atromentin (C18H12O6):

pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Atromentin

Atromentin | C18H12O6 | CID 99148 - structure, chemical names, physical and chemical properties, classification, patents, literature, biolog

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Notes:

* high root pressure

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@squidsandthings hiiya, I just did some research on the red liquid the Devil's tooth bleeds. If it interests you, you can read this post. I also added some links for further research.

@flamingears hiii, this might interest you too. I thought you mentioned liking mycology:)

A NEW DINOSAUR HAS BEEN DISCOVERED!!!!! NOT ONLY THAT, IT WAS ALSO NAMED AFTER THE NORSE GOD LOKI!!

BEHOLD THIS BEAUTIFUL DINOSAUR!! OH IT IS SO LOVELY!

HERE ARE SOME COOL PICTURES OF THE SKULL AND CASTS OF THE REAL BONES TO RECONSTRUCT THE SKULL

READ MORE ABOUT IT HERE:

NBC News

A dinosaur from Montana with huge blade-like horns is named after Norse god Loki

Lokiceratops rangiformis is an entirely new dinosaur previously undiscovered by paleontologists, scientists said in a journal Thursday.

CNN

Newly discovered dinosaur’s horns look ‘like something a heavy metal rocker would wear’ | CNN

A previously unknown species of dinosaur finally has a name five years after the horned specimen’s discovery in Montana: Lokiceratops rangif

Shaggy Inkcap - Coprinus comatus

These mushrooms are most commonly seen in grassland and other open habitats, it is also saprobic.¹ It is easy to recognize by its shaggy cap, when younger cylindrical and later on conical.

The shaggy inkcap's gills are free from the stem and release black spores.² Around the stipe it has got a ring (or as I call it: a skirt).

The pictures were taken sometime last fall, so like November 2023.

This is a spore print that I made. It can be a bit messy because the ink gets on your hands. However, it dries up like mud and you can just wipe it up, at least in my experience.

Sources used in the top paragraph (these might also be useful for if you wish to do your own research):

¹.

².

I went to the botanical gardens and found some cute critters...

Some frogs...

I think these are phantasmal poison frogs or Epipedobates tricolor, but I am not 100% sure.

Some koi fish...

And this majestic bug...

I think it's an Heteropteryx dilatata, but I am not sure...

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If anyone has a better idea of what some of these are, please let me know:)

Hello! Thank you for the Boop help (and sorry for my Boop spam on my end!) I was wondering, how do you get the black paw badge?

Hiyaa!

Np:) Thank you also for the boops!

You can get the black paw badge by giving 1000 boops. Hope this helps:)

Mycena subcyanocephala

This post will discuss Mycena subcyancophala, a very recently discovered species of fungi, found in Taiwan.

Fruitbody, spores and microscopic features

Mycena subcyanocephala might be one of the smallest mushrooms in the world, being about 1 milimetre tall. It is a part of the Mycenaceae family.¹

This species is characterized by their tomentulose (seemingly covered with hair) fruitbodies, a white cap with pale blue toned, thin-walled pileiocystidia (on the cap) and white caulocystidia (on the stipe), smooth round-headed cheilocystidia, inamyloid basidiospores, and the 2-spored basidia (visible in the picture below: B). ²

Mycena subcyanocephala. A. Basidiospores. B. Basidia. C. Cheilocystidia. D. Pileipellis. E.

Ecology and distribution

Mycena subcyanocephala is a lignicolous species of the section Spinosae², meaning that it lives or grows in or on wood.

This species has been found in (sub)tropical Taiwan. ³

Images links:

iNaturalist

Mycena subcyanocephala

Mycena subcyanocephala is a species of fungi with 12 observations

ResearchGate

Fig. 2. Mycena subcyanocephala. A. Basidiospores. B. Basidia. C....

Download scientific diagram | Mycena subcyanocephala. A. Basidiospores. B. Basidia. C. Cheilocystidia. D. Pileipellis. E. from publication:

ResearchGate

Figure 1. Distribution of the ecozones of Taiwan. Green area represents...

Download scientific diagram | Distribution of the ecozones of Taiwan. Green area represents subtropical mountain system; blue area represent

Text references:

1.

2.

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Chou-Neng-2/publication/334596263_Two_new_species_of_Mycena_in_Taiwan/links/6329151370cc936cd31f791f/Two-new-species-of-Mycena-in-Taiwan.pdf

3.

https://www.airitilibrary.com/Article/Detail/10132732-201912-201910010006-201910010006-9-17

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Note:

I was able to find very little on this species of fungi, I hope that most of it is correct. However, because so little is known, I cannot guarantee the validity of the information. Additionally, because of the lack of information, I cannot conclude anything or be sure about possibly correlated information.

Either way, I hope it is sufficient and you will enjoy the post:))

Mutuals:

@squidsandthings

@plants-and-thingz

@flamingears

@fairy-tales-of-yesterday

@lameotello