Cordyceps facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Cordyceps |
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| Cordyceps militaris | |
| Scientific classification | |
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Sordariomycetes
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| Order: |
Hypocreales
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| Family: |
Cordycipitaceae
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| Genus: |
Cordyceps
Fr. (1818)
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| Type species | |
| Cordyceps militaris (L.) Fr. (1818)
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Cordyceps is a genus of ascomycete fungi (sac fungi) with about 400 species. Most Cordyceps species are parasitoids. They are parasitic mainly on insects and other arthropods. A few are parasitic on other fungi. The generic name Cordyceps is taken from the Greek word κορδύλη kordýlē, meaning "club", and the Latin stem -ceps, meaning "head".
The genus has a worldwide distribution. Most of the 400 species have been described from Asia (notably Nepal, China, Japan, Bhutan, Korea, Vietnam, and Thailand). Cordyceps species are particularly abundant and diverse in humid temperate and tropical forests.
Sources and uses
Cordyceps are used in traditional Chinese medicine, but there is currently no scientific evidence that their use has any clinical effect on human diseases.
Images for kids
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Ascomycete life cycle
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A member of the genus Cordyceps which is parasitic on arthropods. Note the elongated stromata
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Cordyceps beginning its growth from a wasp
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Cordyceps militaris
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Cordyceps militaris
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Cordyceps ophioglossoides
.svg)
See also
In Spanish: Cordyceps para niños
