Flammulina species from China inferred by morphological and molecular data

Z. W. Ge, Kunming Institute of Botany
Z. L. Yang, Kunming Institute of Botany
P. Zhang, Hunan Normal University
P. B. Matheny, Clark University
D. S. Hibbett, Clark University

Abstract

Morphological, phylogenetic and biogeographic studies were carried out on Chinese collections of Flammulina. It is revealed that at least four species [F. rossica, Flammulina sp. (HKAS 51191 ), F. velutipes and F. yunnanensis] occur in China. Flammulina yunnanensis is described as new based on morphological and molecular data. F. rossica, a new record to China, is confirmed to have a Holarctic distribution. Flammulina sp. has a hymeniform suprapellis but is phylogenetically close to F. velutipes. Analyses of the ITS/5.8S rDNA sequences of Flammulina species suggest that collections of F. velutipes from China are more closely related to a Canadian population rather than to those of Europe and the USA.