Fuligo septica

Description

Fuligo septica is a large and noticeable species of slime mold that appears as a white to yellow slimy mass. As a member of the class Myxomycetes, it exists in nature as a plasmodium, a blob of protoplasm without cell walls. Despite its high resistance to toxic levels of metals, which appears to be unique to F. septica, it does not harm the environment, and scientists have discovered that it has potential uses, such as fighting cancer cells and remediating environmental sites contaminated with heavy metals. The species is known to trigger episodes of asthma and allergic rhinitis in susceptible people.

While slime molds don't have a brain, they do have highly intelligent abilities. For example, they can find food in a maze by taking the shortest route. There are over 1000 species of slime mold and probably many more species have not yet been described.

According to Miller, the Fuligo septica slime mold is not harmful to plants, people or animals, despite its unappealing appearance and nicknames. If you find it growing on your mulch, you can replace the affected area, but there is a possibility that it may return.

In Scandinavian folklore, it is believed to be the vomit of troll cats. In Finland, it was considered to be used by witches to spoil their neighbors' milk, and was given the name paranvoi or "butter of the familiar spirit." In Dutch, it is called "heksenboter," which means "witches' butter." In Latvian, it is known as "ragansviests" or "witches' butter" and "raganu spļāviens" or "witches' spit," although the origins of these names are unclear.

Common names: Dog Vomit, Scrambled Egg Slime, Flowers of Tanac, German (Hexenbutter, Gelbe Lohblüte), Netherlands (Heksenboter), Japan (ススホコリ).

Mushroom Identification

1. Plasmodium

   Like many slime molds, the cells of this species typically aggregate to form a plasmodium, a multinucleate mass of undifferentiated cells that may move in an ameboid-like fashion during the search for nutrients. The plasmodium varies in color from white to yellow-gray, typically 1.0 to 7.9 inches (2.5 to 20 cm) in diameter, and 0.4 to 1.2 inches (1 to 3 cm) thick. The plasmodium eventually transforms into a sponge-like aethalium, analogous to the spore-bearing fruiting body of a mushroom; which then degrades, darkens in color, and releases its dark-colored spores.

2. Spores

   The spores have a two-layered wall, with a dense outer layer with spines, and a fibrous inner layer. During germination, the outer layer splits to create an opening, and a more elastic inner layer ruptures later as protoplasm emerges. A remnant of the inner layer may be persistent and adhere to the protoplast after it has emerged from the spore. A peroxidase enzyme present in the inner cell wall plays a role in germination.

3. Habitat

   This type of slime mold is found all over North America. It grows on wood chips, rotten wood, plant debris, leaves, and stems of living plants, forming patches several yards wide. It looks like a large spreading blob that resembles dog vomit. As it decays, you may notice spore dust being released. In an earlier stage, it looks like a milky gelatinous mass that moves around to find food. This slime mold is most commonly seen in spring and early summer, but it can also be found in late summer and fall.

7 Facts About The Fuligo septica

1. Fuligo septica is not edible.

2. Fuligo septica is more closely related to Amoebas and certain seaweeds than fungi.

3. It lives in the soil as a single cell organism. When food is scarce it combines with other cells to look for food forming a plasmodium.

4. Although many slime mold species fruit on wood they do not form a penetrating and absorptive mass of hyphae in the wood substrate.

5. In Scandinavian folklore, Fuligo septica is identified as the vomit of troll cats. In Finland, F. septica was believed to be used by witches to spoil their neighbors' milk. This gives it the name paranvoi, meaning "butter of the familiar spirit". In Dutch, "heksenboter" refers to "witches' butter". In Latvian, the slime mold (amongst other slime molds) is called "ragansviests" as "witches' butter" or "raganu spļāviens" as "witches' spit" but it is unclear about the origins of these names.

6. When the slime mold dries, it turns brown and begins to resemble dog vomit rather than scrambled eggs.

7. Slime molds have stood the test of time, as analyses of their DNA have revealed they’ve been on Earth approximately a billion years!

How to Remove Fuligo septica

1. Rake the slime mold and surrounding area to break it up and dry it out.

2. Reduce moisture by adjusting irrigation and keeping the area drier.

3. Hose off large patches of slime mold and dry the area out with a rake.

4. Prune shade trees to let more sunlight in and create less-desirable growing conditions for slime mold.

Remember that Fuligo septica is not harmful, so avoid using toxic chemicals that could be harmful to children, pets, plants, or the environment. You can wait it out, and it should go away on its own.

Uses

Despite its unappealing appearance, Fuligo septica has shown potential to be helpful in various fields due to its unique characteristics. Scientists have discovered that the same yellow pigment that gives Fuligo septica its striking color also forms a chelate with heavy metals, allowing it to hyper-accumulate toxic heavy metals such as zinc and convert them into inactive forms. This makes it useful in environmental site remediation. Additionally, Fuligo septica has been found to have antibiotic properties, antimicrobial properties, and the ability to fight cancer cells, making it a promising candidate for future medical research.

Life Cycle

When its food supply runs out or the conditions get too dry, the slimy plasmodium transforms into a spore-bearing structure called an "aethalium" that catches people's attention. This transformation can happen quickly, often within hours. The aethalia takes different shapes depending on the species, and in the dog vomit slime mold, it turns into a cushion-like structure containing many spores. This happens at night, so the "vomit" seems to appear overnight.

The aethalia ranges from a few inches to two feet in size and can be whitish, tan, bright yellow, or orange, sometimes looking like scrambled eggs. As it matures, the aethalium loses its color and hardens, and a mass of dark brown spores develops underneath the surface.

Slime molds break down decaying organic materials and do not harm living plants, although they might overgrow a small plant nearby. They are typically found in forested areas but cause more concern when growing near buildings. The dog vomit slime mold occurs on hardwood mulch, rotting logs, leaf litter, and untreated lumber, and needs moisture to thrive. It usually appears after soaking rains when it's hot and humid. The slime mold is harmless to plants, pets, and humans, but the spores may cause respiratory irritation in people with allergies or asthma.

Fuligo septica is a cosmetic issue and disappears on its own in a few days. If someone is bothered by it, the aethalium can be raked out, scraped off, or broken up and allowed to dry out. Stirring up the mulch and reducing watering can also help reduce the likelihood of the slime mold showing up. However, there's no way to eliminate the organism entirely without getting rid of everything it feeds on, which is nearly impossible.

History

The first description of the species was provided by French botanist Jean Marchant in 1727, who referred to it as "fleur de tan" (bark flower); Marchant also classified it as "des éponges" (one of the sponges).

Carl Linnaeus called it Mucor septicus in his 1763 Species Plantarum. The species was transferred to the genus Fuligo by German botanist Friedrich Heinrich Wiggers in 1780.

Synonyms and Varieties

• Aethalium candidum Schlechtendal (1824), Flora berolinensis, 2, p. 157

• Aethalium ferrincola Schweinitz (1832), Transactions of the American philosophical Society, series 2, 4(2), p. 261

• Aethalium flavum (Persoon) Swartz (1815), Kongl. vetenskaps akademiens handlingar, 1815, p. 111

• Aethalium septicum (Linnaeus) Fries (1829), Systema mycologicum, 3(1), p. 93

• Aethalium septicum var. b vaporarium (Persoon) Rabenhorst (1844), Deutschlands kryptogamen-flora, 1, p. 253

• Aethalium septicum var. β album Schwabe (1839), Flora anhaltina, 2, p. 323

• Aethalium septicum var. γ cinnamomeum Schwabe (1839), Flora anhaltina, 2, p. 323

• Aethalium septicum var. ε violaceum(Persoon) Schwabe (1839), Flora anhaltina, 2, p. 323

• Aethalium vaporarium (Persoon) Swartz (1815), Kongl. vetenskaps akademiens handlingar, 1815, p. 111

• Aethalium violaceum (Persoon) Swartz (1815), Kongl. vetenskaps akademiens handlingar, 1815, p. 111

• Fuligo candida Pers. (1796)

• Fuligo carnea Schumacher (1803), Enumeratio plantarum in partibus Saellandiae septentrionalis et orientalis, 2, p. 194

• Fuligo carnosa (Bulliard) Steudel (1824), Nomenclator botanicus enumerans ordine alphabetico nomina atque synonyma, 2, p. 180

• Fuligo cerebrina Brondeau (1824), Mémoires de la Société linnéenne de Paris, 3, p. 74, tab. 3, fig. 1-4

• Fuligo flava var. ß pallida (Persoon) Persoon (1801), Synopsis methodica fungorum, p. 161

• Fuligo flavescens Schumacher (1803), Enumeratio plantarum in partibus Saellandiae septentrionalis et orientalis, 2, p. 194

• Fuligo hortensis (Bulliard) Duby (1830), Botanicon gallicum seu synopsis plantarum in flora Gallica, Edn 2, 2, p. 863

• Fuligo ovata (Schaeffer) T. Macbride (1899), The North American slime-molds, Edn 1, p. 23

• Fuligo pallida Persoon (1800) [1799], Observationes mycologicae seu descriptiones tam novorum quam notabilium fungorum, 2, p. 36

• Fuligo populnea Schultz (1806), Prodomus florae stargardiensis, p. 442

• Fuligo rufa Pers. (1794)

• Fuligo tatrica Raciborski (1885), Hedwigia, 24(4), p. 169

• Fuligo vaporaria Persoon (1796), Observationes mycologicae seu descriptiones tam novorum quam notabilium fungorum, 1, p. 92

• Fuligo varians Sommerfelt (1826), Supplementum florae lapponica, p. 239

• Fuligo violacea Pers. (1801)

• Licea lindheimerii Berkeley (1873), Grevillea, 2(17), p. 68

• Lycoperdon luteum Baumgarten (1790), Flora lipsiensis, p. 663

• Lycoperdon nitidulum J.F. Gmelin (1792), Systema naturae, Edn 13, 2(2), p. 1466

• Mucor carnosus (Bulliard) Dickson (1793), Plantarum cryptogamicarum britanniae, 3, p. 26

• Mucor mucilago Scopoli (1772), Flora carniolica, Edn 2, 2, p. 492

• Mucor ovatus Schaeffer (1774), Fungorum qui in Bavaria et Palatinatu circa Ratisbonam, 4, p. 132, tab. 192

• Mucor septicus Linnaeus (1763), Species plantarum exhibentes plantas rite cognitas ad genera relatas, Edn 2, 2, p. 1656 (Basionyme)

• Reticularia carnea (Schumacher) Fries (1829), Systema mycologicum, 3(1), p. 91

• Reticularia carnosa Bulliard (1788), Herbier de la France, 9, tab. 424, fig. 1

• Reticularia cerea Sowerby (1803), Coloured figures of English fungi or mushrooms, tab. tab. 399, fig. 4

• Reticularia hortensis Bulliard (1788), Herbier de la France, 9, tab. 424, fig. 2

• Reticularia lutea Bulliard (1787), Herbier de la France, 8, tab. 380, fig. 1

• Reticularia ovata (Schaeffer) Withering (1792), A botanical arrangement of British plants, Edn 2, 3, p. 471

• Reticularia septica (Linnaeus) Withering (1792), A botanical arrangement of British plants, Edn 2, 3, p. 470

• Reticularia vaporaria (Persoon) Chevallier (1826), Flore générale des environs de Paris, 1, p. 342

• Tubulina lindheimerii (Berkeley) Massee (1892), A monograph of the Myxogastres, p. 42

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