Микология и фитопатология, 2022, T. 56, № 4, стр. 298-301

The present notice continues our acquaintance with the mycological heritage of Johann Christian Buxbaum (1693–1730), a naturalist who was appreciated by Peter the Great, the first botanist-academician of the Saint Petersburg Academy of Sciences (Zmitrovich, Sytin, 2021a, 2021b, 2021c). Buxbaum brought the subjective experience and traditions of European floristics, botanical taxonomy and nomenclature into emerging Russian science, becoming a full member of the Saint Petersburg Academy of Sciences on earlier years of its formation (Sytin et al., 2021).

Within seminal works of Buxbaum, his “Centuria” draw a constant attention. A total of 5 “Centuria” (sets of 100 species) under the title “Plantarum minus cognitarum centuria circa Byzantium et in Oriente observatos” were published by the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences.

In the first “Centuria” issue (1728a) we can find descriptions and illustrations of five fungal species: 1) Agaricus barbatus flavescens (Hericium cirrhatum in modern taxonomy), 2) Agaricus gelatinosus, parte prona erinaceus (Hericium erinaceus), 3) Fungus erinaceus parvus in conis Abietis deiectis nascens (Auriscalpium vulgare), 4) Fungus parvus albus deiectis abietis nascens (Baeospora myosura), 5) Lycoperdon magnum globosum, pulpa granulata, radice crassa (Lycoperdon excipuliforme). In the second “Centuria” (1728b) issue we can find descriptions and illustrations of 8 fungal species: 1) Agaricus varii coloris, erinaceus (Hydnellum ferrugineum in modern taxonomy), 2) Agaricus Pectunculi forma, oblongus luteus (Tapinella panuoides), 3) Lycoperdon stellatum, calyce inverso (Geastrum fimbriatum), 4) Fungus pileo plicatili, maior (Coprinopsis lagopus), 5) Fungus parvus pileolo plicatili, cinereus, oris crenatis (Parasola sp.), 6) Fungus plicatilis omnium minimus, albicans (Coprinopsis cordispora species complex), 7) Fungus parvus, infundibulum referens (obviously, Arrhenia obscurata), and 8) Fungus exiguus albicans capitulo, striato (Coprinellus disseminatus). In the third “Centuria” issue (Buxbaum, 1729), there were no fungal species at all, when the coralloid forms here belonged to the marine algae: Phaeophyceae (Ochrophyta, SAR) and corallinaceous Rhodophyta (Archeplastida).

The fourth “Centuria” issue (Buxbaum, 1733), on the contrary, is mainly devoted to fungal species (Ascomycota, Basidiomycota – Opisthokonta) along with some dicotyledonous species (Embryophyta, Archeplastida). Wonderful illustrations and descriptions of 56 fungal species we can find here. The book was typed in the Caslon font, a peculiarity of which is that the Latin literas s and f were almost identical in spelling and only into the whole word we can distinguished them. Instead of the preposition “et”, an ampersand sign was used, and the digraph ae was typed as a single litera. Each paragraph was opened with the two-level capital fonts.

Due to impossibility of coverage all these species in one paper, our previous report was dedicated to the clavarioid taxa, which Buxbaum himself designated with the generic epithet Coralloides [1) Coralloides minor cristata (Clavulina coralloides), 2) Coralloides clavata, lutea, minor (Beauveria cf. scarabaeidicola), 3) Coralloides lutea, non ramosa, clava rugosa (Macrotyphula fistulosa/contorta)] (Sytin, Zmitrovich, 2021c), whereas in this notice we’ll restrict ourselves to wood-inhabiting fungi of so-called lentinoid morphotype, characterized by the consistency transitional to that of tinder-like polypores and the gills descending along a slightly eccentric stipe. Only two of such species there are in the fourth “Centuria” issue. The analysis of species descriptions follows here.

1. Fungus arboreus mollis multiformis – p. 15, tab. XXV (Fig. 1, 1)¹¹.

Fig. 1.

Engraving from drawing to Buxbaum’s “Centuria” IV (Buxbaum, 1733) published within a book tables: 1 – Fungus arboreus mollis multiformis (Neolentinus lepideus in modern taxonomy); 2 – Fungus crassus, oris introflexis (Neolentinus cyathiformis in modern taxonomy).

“Arborius adnascitur substantia terrestrium est, colore, magnitudine, et forma multum ludit. Communiter capitellum lamellatum insidet pediculo, ad latus ejus sito, aliquando pediculo caret, vel perbrevem obtinet, qui raroeius medio inferitar ad modum terrestrium. Color albidus est, et aliquando fuligine tinctus. Mihi videtur multum accedere ad fungos campestris: forsitanidem est, et differentia foli loco natali debetur; quando scilicet ex lingo crescit, monstrosus evadit, et variis formis ludit. Aliis ulteriorem inquisitionem relinquo. Hac occasione etiam monemus, Fungum medium pileo muco aeruginei coloris obducto ejusdem Doodii²² videri Fungum silvarum asperum esculentum I. seu ex albo virescentem J.B.³³ qui est tertia specis Fungi umbilicum referentis, variegate C.B.⁴⁴ Hic saepius post pluvias muco viscid obductus ocurrit: nec locus natalis repugnant”.

Сurrent status. As somewhat peculiarity of Buxbaum’s works, the absence of clear description stereotype should be mentioned, therefore, in the case when the species is highly characteristic in its drawing transmission, the textual description does not duplicate, but often supplements the features slipped away in the figure. In particular, for the species in question, an emphasis into description was made on wide intraspecies polymorphism and on synanthropic aspect of species ecology. The coloration features described as well as highly characteristic species habitus, accurately conveyed in a wonderful drawing (in particular, pronounced pileus asymmetry, coarse scales and gills, thick scaly stipe), together with an important textual information, unequivocally say that we are dealing with Neolentinus lepideus (Basidiomycota, Agaricomycetes, Gloeophyllales, Gloeophyllaceae).

Post-Linnean synonymy: Neolentinus lepideus (Fr.) Redhead et Ginns, Trans. Mycol. Soc. Japan 26 (3): 357, 1985. ≡ Agaricus lepideus Fr., Observ. Mycol. 1: 21, 1815. ≡ Lentinus lepideus (Fr.) Fr., Epicr. Syst. Mycol.: 390, 1838. = Agaricus tubaeformis Schaeff., Fung. Bavar. Palat. Nasc. 4: 65, 1774. = A. cyprinus Batsch, Elench. Fung.: 57, 1783. = A. serpentiformis Batsch, Elench. Fung.: 89, 1783. = Ramaria ceratoides Holmsk., Beata Ruris Otia Fungis Danicis 1: 101, 1799. = Agaricus suffrutescens Brot., Fl. Lusit. 2: 466, 1805. = A. polymorphus Pers., Mycol. Eur. 3: 52, 1828. = Lentinus sitaneus Fr., Syn. Generis Lentinorum: 8, 1836. = L. cryptarum Fuckel, Jb. Nassau. Ver. Naturk. 23–24: 15, 1870. = L. contiguus Fr., Hymenomyc. Eur.: 482, 1874. = L. maximus A.E. Johnson, Bull. Minn. Acad. Nat. Sci. 1: 338, 1878. = L. gallicus Quél., C. R. Assoc. Franç. Avancem. Sci. 13: 280, 1885. = L. domesticus P. Karst., Revue Mycol. 9 (33): 9, 1887. = L. magnus Peck, Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 23 (10): 413, 1896. = L. platensis Speg., Anal. Mus. Nac. Hist. Nat. B. Aires 6: 113, 1899. = L. spretus Peck, Bull. N.Y. St. Mus. 105: 24, 1906.

Modern elaborations: Pegler (1983); Redhead, Ginns (1985); Bondartseva et al. (2016).

Note. Although the recent molecular work was focused on lentinoid Polyporaceae (Zmitrovich, Kovalenko, 2016), some Neolentinus taxa were included in molecular phylogenetic trees too, and in the light of these data the N. lepideus clade revealed the subtlest divergence, in particular, N. lepideus f. rufescens (A.N. Petrov) Zmitr. et Kovalenko seems to be slightly stood out. However, in terms of nomenclature, the Buxbaum’s polynomial base (arboreus) seems unlikely to help in naming any split off species so far, since he covered with this name whole the species polymorphism spectrum known in those times.

2. Fungus crassus, oris introflexis – p. 16, tab. XXVI, (Fig. 1, 2).

“Colorem hujus non melius comparare possum quam stercori humano, superne capitulum subhirsutum ad fuscedinem vergit lamellae magis lutescunt substantia interior partier lutea et compacta. Lamellae partem pediculi occupant, et antiquior infundibuliformis evadit. In pascius passim. An Fungi pediculo bulbosa J.B.? quorum description huic aliquatenus convenit”.

Сurrent status. The original drawing well conveys a typical form of this fungus, whereas the description adds some typical characters by which the species can be unmistakably identified. Like a previous species, the consistency is described as dense, while it was said that surfaces yellowing can be observed. By this character, we can understand that we dealing with not the Panus Fr., but the Neolentinus representative, too. The pileus surface of the fungus was described as subhirsute, but such a characteristic covers also ingrown fibrous surface giving very fine scaling. The basic coloration can be interpreted in a range from hazel to wine (except with aforementioned yellow pigment). As typical basidiome features would be mentioned, e.g. cyathiform shape, decurrent gills (described in the text and seen in the drawing), thick and somewhat compressed stipe. Undoubtedly, we are dealing with Neolentinus cyathiformis (Basidiomycota, Agaricomycetes, Gloeophyllales, Gloeophyllaceae).

Post-Linnean synonymy: Neolentinus cyathiformis (Schaeff.) Della Magg. et Trassin., Index Fungorum 171: 1, 2014. ≡ Agaricus cyathiformis Schaeff., Fung. Bavar. Palat. Nasc. 4: 66, 1774. = A. schaefferi Weinm., Hym. à Gast. Imp. Ross. Obs.: 665, 1836. = Panus urnula Fr., Monogr. Hymenomyc. Suec. 2 (2): 348, 1863. = Lentinus degener Kalchbr. in Fr., Hymenomyc. Eur.: 482, 1874. = L. variabilis Schulzer ex Quél., Enchir. Fung.: 150, 1886.

Modern elaborations: Pegler (1983); Redhead, Ginns (1985); Vlasenko et al. (2019).

Note. Judging by rather strong and, by the standards of intraspecific polymorphism of this taxon, not so long stipe, the Buxbaum’s Fungus crassus… corresponds to Lentinus degener Kalchbr. in Fr., a recently epitypified taxon (Papp, Dima, 2018). Obviously, despite the wide modification variability, the species complex is hidden here, i.e. this is a promising taxon for further elaboration.

The following notices are planned to be devoted to the rest agaricoid fungi described in the fourth “Centuria” issue.

The work was supported by the RFBR grant (N 20-011-42010) and the State Research Task N AAAA-A19-119020890079-6.