page_title: Terana caerulea
section_title: Chemistry
hierarchical_section_title: Terana caerulea / Chemistry
caption_attribution_description: English: Beech with Cobalt Crust, Pulcherricium caeruleum at Eglinton, Irvine, Ayrshire
context_page_description: Terana caerulea, commonly known as the cobalt crust fungus or velvet blue spread, is a saprobic crust fungus in the family Phanerochaetaceae. Usually found in warm, damp hardwood forests on the undersides of fallen logs and branches of deciduous trees, this unique fungus has been described as "blue velvet on a stick". This species was chosen as fungus of the year for 2009 by the German Mycological Society.
context_section_description: The blue pigment of this fungus was shown to be a mixture of polymers structurally related to thelephoric acid.
  When activated by external treatments such as high temperature (42 °C (108 °F)), exposure to vapors of toxic solvents, or contact with a water-toluene mixture, T. caerulea produces an antibiotic named cortalcerone (2-hydroxy-6H-3-pyrone-2-carboxaldehyde hydrate), that inhibits the growth of Streptococcus pyogenes. The metabolic biosynthesis of this compound starting from the initial precursor glucose has also been studied.
  Compounds with so-called "benzobisbenzofuranoid" skeletons have been isolated and identified from T. caerulea, namely, corticins A, B, and C.
caption: Cobalt Crust on Beech bark
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