44 Quest Vol. 19 No. 2 | 2023 QUESTONLINE.ORG.ZA
NEWS | MEDICINAL MUSHROOM
MEDICINAL MUSHROOM
Matie student identifies species of
endemic to Knysna forest
The newly described Hericium ophelieae from the Knysna forest.
Peter Herrmann
44 Quest Vol. 19 No. 2 | 2023 QUESTONLINE.ORG.ZA
QUESTONLINE.ORG.ZA Quest Vol. 19 No. 2 | 2023 45
MEDICINAL MUSHROOM | NEWS
A new species of medicinal mushroom in the genus Hericium was identified by a third-year microbiology and genetics student at Stellenbosch University (SU) – this is the first endemic species of this highly sought-after medicinal mushroom to be found in Southern Africa and only the second in Africa.
Breyten van der Merwe, now a BSc Honours student, found the specimen while out walking in the Knysna forests in January 2021. He collected a sample, dried it out and subsequently brought it to the attention of Prof.
Karin Jacobs, a microbial ecologist and mycologist in the Department of Microbiology at SU.
Although a rare sight in nature, species in the Hericium genus are well known for their exceptional medicinal and health-promoting qualities. Hericium erinaceus, the Lions Mane mushroom, for example, has long been part of traditional Chinese and Asian medicine.
In South Africa, this “new” spectacular looking mushroom has mostly been misidentified as Coral Tooth mushroom (Hericium coralloides). According to Van der Merwe, it is often only through DNA sequencing that the different species in this genus can be differentiated from each other.
The new endemic species is named Hericium ophelieae after the poem “Ophélie” by the French poet Arthur Rimbaud.
This is because lines such as “long veils…a white phantom…
beautiful as snow” seemed to be an apt description for the cascading fruiting bodies in the dark Knysna forest.
The other endemic species, and its closest relative, is Hericium bembedjaense from the Dja Biosphere Reserve in Cameroon.
A new species of medicinal mushroom in the genus Hericium was identified by a third- year microbiology and genetics student at Stellenbosch University (SU) – this is the first endemic species of this highly sought-after medicinal mushroom to be found in Southern
Africa and only the second in Africa.
These coral-like fungi play an important role in the breakdown of hardwoods and conifers. In the Knysna forest, for example, Hericium ophelieae was found only on hardwoods indigenous to the Knysna-Amatole forest, specifically Cape Beech, Cape Holly, Ironwood and Stinkwood trees.
Van der Merwe, himself a keen forager, says while this is the first endemic species of Hericium to be described from southern Africa, it is certainly not the last: “There are likely others to be discovered, as mycology as a discipline is still underdeveloped in Africa and southern Africa. This finding certainly highlights the need for further research into the fungal diversity of the Afrotemperate forests of South Africa,” he concludes.
For his BSc Hons degree, Van der Merwe will now further investigate and analyse the compounds found in this species of Hericium – as it is so clearly distinct from other species in this genus, there may just be a few more novel findings on its way.
Jacobs says the paper highlights the value of the amateur mycology community: “In South Africa, collaboration between universities and amateur mycologists can increase the number of novel species described from South Africa’s many different biomes”.
The article, “Hericium ophelieae sp. nov., a novel species of Hericium (Basidiomycota: Russulales, Hericiaceae) from the Southern Afrotemperate forests of South Africa”, was published in the international journal Mycology recently. – Stellenboch University
Mohuta wo mofsa wa di-mushroom tša kalafo ka mohuteng wa Hericium o lemogilwe ke moithuti wa ngwaga wa boraro wa
microbiology le dikarolwana tša leabela ka Yunibesithing ya Stellenbosch (SU) ka sethokgweng sa Knysna – ye ke mohuta wa mathomo wa lefelong leo wa di-mushroom tše tša kalafo tšeo di nyakegago kudu tšeo di hwetšwago ka gare ga tšona Borwa bja Afrika le ya bobedi fela mo Afrika.
Translated into Northern Sotho by Dr Walter Matli.
Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf)
ASSAf Research Repository http://research.assaf.org.za/
A. Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) Publications D. Quest: Science for South Africa
