Ceratobasidium sp. 395, showing upper (R) and lower (L) colony surface. [Photo credit: Lawrence Zettler]

Ceratobasidium sp. 395

Orchid seeds require organic carbon acquired from mycorrhizal fungi to germinate and develop. To better understand the genome evolution of fungi that participate in the orchid mycorrhizal symbiosis, we are sequencing a variety of fungal species that have been demonstrated to germinate orchid seeds. Analyses of these genomes will reveal patterns that may explain their ability to interact with orchids.

Ceratobasidium sp. 395 was isolated from a root of a mature leafless epiphytic Ribbon Orchid, Campylocentrum pachyrrhizum, that grew in Korrie's Pond in the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge (FPNWR) in 2014. This fungus has not yet been tested for its ability to germinate seeds in vitro.