Ganoderma australe

Ganoderma australe is a fungal plant pathogen in the genus Ganoderma. It is a species of basidiomycete fungi in the family Polyporaceae. Members are also known as bracket fungi, or polypores.^[2]

Ganoderma australe
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Fungi
Division:	Basidiomycota
Class:	Agaricomycetes
Order:	Polyporales
Family:	Ganodermataceae
Genus:	Ganoderma
Species:	G. australe
Binomial name
Ganoderma australe (Fr.) Pat.[1]
Synonyms[1]
List ? australe Fr. Elfvingia australis (Fr.) G.Cunn. Elfvingia tornata (Pers.) Murrill Fomes annularis Lloyd Fomes applanatus subsp. australis (Fr.) Cleland & Cheel, 1917 Fomes applanatus var. australis (Fr.) Cleland & Cheel Fomes applanatus var. oroflavus (Lloyd) Cleland & Cheel Fomes arculatus (Bres.) Sacc. Fomes australis (Fr.) Cooke Fomes australis subsp. arculatus (Bres.) Sacc. Fomes australis var. oroflavus (Lloyd) G.Cunn. Fomes oroflavus Lloyd Fomes polyzonus Lloyd Fomes pseudoaustralis Lloyd Fomes scansilis (Berk.) Cooke Fomes undatus Lázaro Ibiza Ganoderma annulare (Lloyd) Boedijn Ganoderma applanatum f. australe (Fr.) Bourdot & Galzin Ganoderma applanatum subsp. australe (Fr.) Bourdot & Galzin Ganoderma applanatum subsp. tornatum (Pers.) Humphrey & Leus-Palo, 1931 Ganoderma applanatum var. tornatum (Pers.) C.J.Humphrey & Leus-Palo Ganoderma australe f. arculatum Bres. Ganoderma polyzonum (Lloyd) Torrend Ganoderma tornatum (Pers.) Bres. Ganoderma tornatum subsp. tornatum (Pers.) Humphrey, 1931 Placodes australis (Fr.) Quél. Polyporus australis Fr. Polyporus scansilis Berk. Polyporus tornatus Pers. Scindalma arculatum (Bres.) Kuntze Scindalma scansile (Berk.) Kuntze Scindalma tornatum (Pers.) Kuntz

Ganoderma tornatum Mycological characteristics
	Pores on hymenium
	Spore print is brown
	Ecology is parasitic
	Edibility is unknown

Description

Like other polypores, its physical characteristics include a rigid and tough texture and a shelf-like appearance. Most specimens of G. australe have a dark brown upper surface, though the ones found in the northwest of India and Pakistan have a lighter appearance. G. australe also have thin, shiny horn-like layers, distinguishing them from G. applanatum. It does not have a long and thin stipe like G. cochlear.^[3]

Physiologically, their mode of transmission is likely primarily through air-borne spores, as no rhizomorphs have been found. ^[4] While temperature increases decrease their spore size ^[5] its spore size was found to be 7.5–9.5 x 5–7 micrometers in one sample. In addition to parasitizing oil palms, G. australe has a variety of hosts, in comparison to other Ganoderma species.^[6]

Distribution and habitat

It is distributed widely throughout the tropics, appearing to be one of the most common species of Ganoderma there. Some places it occurs is south of the Sahara desert, the shores of the Pacific Ocean in Canada, and the north west of India and Pakistan, and from the Philippines to New Caledonia and Papua.^[4] It is not clear if this species occurs in South America, as few specimens are available.