PIGMENTS OF FUNGI 



85 



Kogl and Erxleben [IwanorT (1932)] have extracted pigments 

 from a number of the higher fungi. From Amanita muse aria 

 they extracted a red crystalline glucoside, muscarufin, C 2 5Hi 6 9 . 

 From Hydmnn ferrugineum and species of Thelephora they got 

 thelephoric acid, G>oHi 2 6 , whose crystals resemble in color po- 

 tassium permanganate. 



A group of interesting pigmented compounds is produced by 

 each of the more commonly known species of Helminthosporium 

 pathogenic to grasses, some compounds being obtained from more 

 than one species. Raistrick (1937) and his associates cultured 

 these species of Helminthosporium on Czapek-Dox solutions. 

 From such cultures of H. gramineum, H. cynodontis, H. catenar- 

 ium, and H. tritici-vulgaris they isolated helminthosporin, Ci 5 - 

 H10O5, consisting of very dark maroon crystals. From cultures 

 of H. cynodontis, H. euchlaenae, and H. avenae, cynodontin, 

 CisHioO,;, consisting of bronze leaf-like crystals, was obtained. 

 From cultures of H. tritici-vulgaris, tritisporin, Ci 5 H 10 O 7 , consist- 

 ing of reddish brown platelets, was obtained. Cultures of H. 

 ravenelii, a fungus widely present in the southeastern United 

 States on smut grass, Sporobolus sp., yielded ravenelin, Ci 4 Hi O 5 , 

 an intensely yellow pigment. The following constitutions are 

 assigned to these four pigments from Helminthosporium [Birkin- 

 shaw (1937)]: 



OH CO 



OH CO OH 



— CH 



OH CO OH 



Helminthosporin 



OH CO OH 



HOCH 



OH 



OH 



Tritisporin 



-CH 3 



CO OH 



Cynodontin 



O OH 



V-CH 3 



CO OH 



Ravenelin 



Wood lying in moist situations may be discolored by Chloro- 

 splemum aeruginosum. The pigment concerned is sylindein, and 

 such wood, because of its beautiful verdigris-green stain, is util- 

 ized in making ornaments and souvenirs. 



