sclerotium
Sign in to savethumb|Sclerotia of the ergot species [[Claviceps purpurea developing on wheat spikes]]
Article
16 sectionsContents
- Description
- History
- As part of fungal life cycles
- Formation
- As food
- ''Pleurotus tuber-regium''
- Traditional medicine and hallucinogen
- ''Claviceps purpurea''
- ''Ophiocordyceps sinensis''
- ''Inonotus obliquus''
- ''Psilocybe galindoi''
- ''Psilocybe mexicana'' and ''Psilocybe tampanensis''
- ''Wolfiporia hoelen''
- Some species with sclerotia as agricultural pests
- Notes
- References
thumb|Sclerotia of the ergot species [[Claviceps purpurea developing on wheat spikes]]
A sclerotium (; : sclerotia () is a compact mass of hardened fungal mycelium containing food reserves. One role of sclerotia is to survive environmental extremes. In some higher fungi such as ergot, sclerotia become detached and remain dormant until favorable growth conditions return. Sclerotia initially were mistaken for individual organisms and described as separate species until Louis René Tulasne proved in 1853 that sclerotia are only a stage in the life cycle of some fungi. Further investigation showed that this stage appears in many fungi belonging to many diverse groups. Sclerotia are important in the understanding of the life cycle and reproduction of fungi, as a food source, as medicine (for example, ergotamine), and in agricultural blight management.