Cyttaria espinosae

 Cyttaria espinosae (Lloyd), also known by its local name Digüeñe, Lihueñe or Quideñe, is an orange-white coloured and edible ascomycete fungus native to south-central Chile. The Digüeñe is a strict and specific parasite of Nothofagus, mainly Nothofagus obliqua trees and cause canker-like galls on branches from which the fruiting bodies emerge between spring and early summer. The pitted surface generates air turbulence, preventing a build-up of static air around the fruitbodies, thus facilitating wind-borne spore dispersal. In Chilean cuisine, the Digüeñe is usually consumed fresh in salads or fried with scrambled eggs.

Digüeñe
Diguenes.jpg
Cyttaria espinosae from Chile growing in a tree branch
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Fungi
Division:
Ascomycota
Class:
Leotiomycetes
Order:
Cyttariales
Family:
Cyttariaceae
Genus:
Cyttaria
Species:
C. espinosae
Binomial name
Cyttaria espinosae
Lloyd

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article
 Metasyntactic variable, which is released under the 
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Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License
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