Phellinus is a genus of fungi in the family Hymenochaetaceae. Many species cause white rot. Fruit bodies, which are found growing on wood, are resupinate, sessile, and perennial. The flesh is tough and woody or cork-like, and brown in color. Clamp connections are absent, and the skeletal hyphae are yellowish-brown.
The name
Phellinus means
cork.
The species
Phellinus ellipsoideus (previously
Fomitiporia ellipsoidea) produced the largest ever fungal fruit body.
Phellinus species produce a number of natural chemicals which are of interest to science. These include the natural phenol hispidin, bio-active styrylpyrones called phelligridins, and bio-active isolates called phellinins.
Uses: In Australia, Indigenous Australians have used
Phellinus fruit bodies medicinally. The smoke from burning fruit bodies was inhaled by those with sore throats. Scrapings from slightly charred fruit bodies were drunk with water to treat coughing, sore throats, "bad chests", fevers and diarrhoea. There is some uncertainty about which species of
Phellinus were used.
Species: ,
Catalogue of Life lists 94 species in the genus
Phellinus. Selected species include:
- Phellinus ellipsoideus
- Phellinus igniarius
- Phellinus lundellii
- Phellinus pomaceus
- Phellinus tremulae
- Phellinus viticola
The widespread species
Fulvifomes robiniae was formerly considered within
Phellinus, but was moved to the genus
Fulvifomes when that genus was resurrected based on morphological and molecular phylogenetic evidence.