The species Phellinus ellipsoideus (previously Fomitiporia ellipsoidea) produced the largest ever fungal fruit body.[3][4]
Phellinus species produce a number of natural chemicals which are of interest to science. These include the natural
phenolhispidin,[5]bio-activestyrylpyrones called phelligridins,[6] and bio-active
isolates called phellinins.[7]
Uses
In Australia, Aborigines have used Phellinus fruit bodies
medicinally. The smoke from burning fruit bodies was inhaled by those with sore throats. Scrapings from slightly charred fruit bodies were drunk with water to treat coughing, sore throats, "bad chests", fevers and diarrhoea. There is some uncertainty about which species of Phellinus were used.[8]
^Ellis MB, Ellis JB. (1990).
"Phellinus". Fungi Without Gills (Hymenomycetes and Gasteromycetes): An Identification Handbook. London, UK: Chapman and Hall. pp. 145–50.
ISBN978-0-412-36970-4.
^Cui B-K, Decock C. (2012). "Phellinus castanopsidis sp. nov. (Hymenochaetaceae) from southern China, with preliminary phylogeny based on rDNA sequences". Mycological Progress. 12 (2): 341–51.
doi:
10.1007/s11557-012-0839-5.
S2CID17570036.
^Dai Y-C, Cui B-K. (2011). "Fomitiporia ellipsoid has the largest fruiting body among the fungi". Fungal Biology. 115 (9): 813–4.
doi:
10.1016/j.funbio.2011.06.008.
PMID21872178.
^Lee I-K, Yun B-S. (2007). "Highly oxygenated and unsaturated metabolites providing a diversity of hispidin class antioxidants in the medicinal mushrooms Inonotus and Phellinus". Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry. 15 (10): 3309–14.
doi:
10.1016/j.bmc.2007.03.039.
PMID17387019.