Cenococcum geophilum
| Cenococcum geophilum | |
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| Cenococcum geophilum ectomycorrhiza | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Ascomycota |
| Class: | Dothideomycetes |
| Order: | Mytilinidiales |
| Family: | Gloniaceae |
| Genus: | Cenococcum |
| Species: | C. geophilum |
| Binomial name | |
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Cenococcum geophilum Fr. (1829) |
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Cenococcum geophilum Fr., synonym Cenococcum graniforme (Sow.) Ferd. and Winge, is an Ascomycete fungal species and is the only member in the genus Cenococcum. It is one of the most common ectomycorrhizal fungal species encountered in forest ecosystems. The geographic distribution of the species is notably cosmopolitan; it is found in ecosystems with a wide range of environmental conditions, and in many cases in high relative frequency. Because of its wide distribution and abundance in forest soils, it is one of the most well-studied ectomycorrhizal fungal species. While the species has long been known to be sterile and not produce asexual or sexual spores, cryptic sexual stages may exist. The hyphae produced by C. geophilum are characterized by their thick (1.5-8 um), straight and jet black appearance with little branching. They usually form monopodial (unbranched) ectomycorrhizas. The mantles of C. geophilum ectomycorrhizas are usually thick with few to many emanating hyphae.
Originally described in 1800 from its sclerotia by James Sowerby, the species was named Lycoperdon graniforme Sow. Later, Elias Fries introduced the genus Cenococcum and the sole species was called Cenococcum geophilum Fr. These names were later combined to form Cenococcum graniforme (Sow) Ferd. and Winge in the monographic study of the species by Ferdinandsen and Winge in 1925. Hatch identified hyphae that formed ectomycorrhizas with “jet-black” mantles calling it Mycelium radicus-nigrostrigosum Hatch. Finally, Linhell linked the fungi forming the ectomycorrhizas to the fungus producing the sclerotia earlier described. The officially accepted name for the species is Cenococcum geophilum Fr. Molecular analyses have revealed that C. geophilum is not closely related to other Ascomycete ectomycorrhizal fungi (mostly in the Pezizales) and is actually a member of the Dothideomycetes. Cenococcum geophilum is the only known ectomycorrhizal member of the Dothideomycetes. Spatafora et al. (2012) placed C. geophilum in the Gloniaceae as a close relative to members of the Genus Glonium.
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