Is the fragrant fire sponge threatened with extinction?

Although they claim an entire kingdom for themselves, mushrooms have so far been neglected in nature conservation. For example, the EU regulation (Council Directive 92/43/EEC) does not include a single species of mushroom worthy of protection, while many mushrooms are now on Red Lists of endangered species. This is also due to the fact that most mushroom species are probably still undescribed and difficult to find, and we know too little about their ecological requirements.

In order to shed a little more light on the subject, researchers from the IHI Zittau's Chair of Environmental Biotechnology, in collaboration with colleagues from the University of Bayreuth and the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research Halle-Leipzig, have investigated the distribution and characteristics of the extremely rare "fragrant fire sponge"(Phellinidium pouzarii (Kotl.) Fiasson & Niemelä) in its only occurrence in Germany in the Bavarian Forest National Park, because you can't protect what you don't know.

With the help of DNA samples, the group discovered that, contrary to expectations, the fragrant fire fungus occurs exclusively in the Mittelsteighütte primeval forest area on silver fir trees and has not yet been able to colonize any other regions - an alarming result, as Phellinidium pouzarii occurs in only seven locations worldwide and is considered extremely endangered. In order to support this particular and other rare species of fungi, a project is currently underway at the University of Bayreuth to reintroduce rare fungi and develop management concepts.

The name "fragrant fire sponge" is no coincidence - if you smell this outwardly rather inconspicuous species, the scents of rose and hyacinth waft towards you. The working group has also investigated what this is all about and determined the central components of the scent. In future, experiments can be carried out to find out whether the production of these scents serves to give Phellinidiumpouzarii a competitive advantage over other species.

To the article:

Roy, F., Baumann, P., Ullrich, R., Moll, J., Bässler, C., Hofrichter, M., Kellner, H., 2025. Illuminating ecology and distribution of the rare fungus Phellinidium pouzarii in the Bavarian Forest National Park. Sci Rep 15, 8604.