Cordyceps militaris

Description

Cordyceps militaris is quickly gaining worldwide popularity. In part due to it’s superb nutritional and medicinal benefits, but also due to it’s nature as a parasitic, entomopathogenic fungus – which means that it grows parasitically on insects. Cordyceps is thought to increase the body’s production of the molecule adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which is essential for delivering energy to the muscles. In laboratory studies, Cordyceps militaris has shown potential anti-tumor, anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory benefits but the subjective experiences of those that have made Cordyceps a part of their lifestyle are overwhelmingly positive.

[Description from mushroomexpert.com]

Ecology: Parasitic on buried larvae and pupae of insects (primarily moths and butterflies); growing alone or gregariously; summer and fall; widely distributed in North America but apparently more common east of the Rocky Mountains.

Fruiting Body: 2-8 cm long; up to about .5 cm wide; club-shaped, with the top wider than the base; the upper portion orange and pimply, the lower portion smooth and orange to pale orange, often curved; narrowing at the base and arising from the buried pupa or larva; flesh pale watery orange, with an outer cortex.

Microscopic Features: Perithecia embedded in a layer of loosely interwoven cells; sometimes appearing half-embedded or superficial. Asci 300-510 x 3.5-5 µ, with caps 3.5-5 µ thick. Spores segmented and threadlike; breaking into elliptical segments 2-4.5 x 1-1.5 µ.

REFERENCES: (Linnaeus, 1753) Link, 1833. (Mains, 1958; Smith, Smith & Weber, 1981; Breitenbach & Kränzlin, 1984; Arora, 1986; Phillips, 1991/2005; Lincoff, 1992; Metzler & Metzler, 1992; Barron, 1999; Roody, 2003; McNeil, 2006.) Herb. Kuo 08180607.