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Panellus stipticus is a species of fungus in the family Mycenaceae, and the type species of the genus Panellus. A common and widely distributed species, it is found in Asia, Australasia, Europe, and North America, growing in groups or dense overlapping clusters on the logs, stumps, and trunks of deciduous trees. During the development of the fruit bodies, the mushrooms start out as tiny white knobs, which develop into fan- or kidney-shaped caps up to 3 cm (1.2 in) broad. The caps are orange-yellow to brownish, and attached to the decaying wood by short stubby stalks. The fungus was first described by French mycologist Jean Bulliard in 1783 and was given its current scientific name in 1879. It is one of several dozen bioluminescent species of fungi. Strains from eastern North America are typically bioluminescent, but those from elsewhere are not. The luminescence is localized to the edges of the gills and the junction of the gills with the stem and cap. The luminescent glow of this and other fungi inspired the term foxfire, coined by early settlers in eastern and southern North America. Modern research has probed the fungus's ability to detoxify various environmental pollutants. (Full article...)
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