Cordyceps militaris, commonly known as the caterpillar fungus, is a species of fungus in the family Cordycipitaceae, and the type species of the genus Cordyceps, which consists of hundreds of species. The species was originally described by Carl Linnaeus in 1753 as Clavaria militaris. Cordyceps militaris parasitizes insects and is used in traditional Chinese medicine.
Source: Wikipedia
| Season | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
|
Distribution
Occasional
Habitat
Occurs on pupae and larvae of moths buried under the soil in forests and open grassland
Fruiting Body
Club-shaped fruiting body with slightly swollen head and rough surface covered with conical ostioles.
| Colour |
|---|
Spores
Cylindrical asci and measure about 300 x 3-6 μm and have a cap-like , pierced, refractive top. The thread-like spores spit up into part-spores
| Size | 4.5-5 x 1-1.5 μm |
|---|
Classification
- ↳ Phylum: Ascomycota
- ↳ Subphylum: Pezizomycotina
- ↳ Class: Sordariomycetes
- ↳ Subclass: Hypocreomycetidae
- ↳ Order: Hypocreales
- ↳ Family: Cordycipitaceae
- ↳ Genus: Cordyceps
Synonyms
- Clavaria militaris L.
- Sphaeria militaris (L.) J.F. Gmel.
- Torrubia militaris (L.) Tul. & C. Tul.
Reference Sources
T. Læssøe, J. H. Peterson (2019) Fungi of Temperate Europe Vol. 2. Princeton University Press.
R. Phillips (2006) Mushrooms. Macmillan.
Genus Cordyceps
No other species found in this genus.
