Description

Black Earthfan (Thelephora cuticularis) is an ectomycorrhizal fan fungus, and this liquid culture is produced for research use: culture maintenance, biomass expansion, and host seedling inoculation. Out-Grow's liquid culture syringe delivers live, actively growing Thelephora cuticularis mycelium in sterile nutrient solution.

Fruiting this species in artificial culture is not currently possible by any documented method. Like truffles and matsutake, it draws the carbon for fruiting from a living host tree. What a liquid culture provides is the fungus itself, maintained and expandable, which is precisely what mycorrhizal research requires.

Why Work With Black Earthfan?
Thelephora is a cornerstone genus of ectomycorrhizal ecology, and the family it anchors dominates many forest soil communities. Living T. cuticularis stock supports mycorrhizal synthesis experiments, seedling inoculation trials, and comparative work in a genus far better known from sequence data than from culture.

Working Conditions:
Expand on MEA or PDA at 68 to 77 F in darkness. Expect slow, dense, dark-tinged colony growth; Thelephora species often pigment their mycelium with age. Patience and sterile discipline are the operating requirements, as with all ectomycorrhizal culture work.

Key Characteristics of Black Earthfan (Thelephora cuticularis):

• Ecology: Ectomycorrhizal partner of hardwoods and conifers, forming leathery, fan-shaped fruiting bodies at ground level.
• Culture Behavior: Slow, dense colony development with characteristic darkening pigmentation as cultures mature.
• Research Value: A culturable representative of a genus central to forest mycorrhizal ecology.

Taxonomy of Black Earthfan (Thelephora cuticularis):

• Kingdom: Fungi
• Phylum: Basidiomycota
• Class: Agaricomycetes
• Order: Thelephorales
• Family: Thelephoraceae
• Genus: Thelephora
• Species: Thelephora cuticularis

Storage and Usage Tips:
Store your Black Earthfan liquid culture syringe in a cool, dark location and expand it promptly. Slow mycorrhizal cultures are irreplaceable working stock; hold multiple backup plates.