Basswoodkuorella

Basswoodkuorella is a fictional fungal species created for illustrative purposes in this article. It is described as a wood-decaying basidiomycete that forms shelf-like fruiting bodies on basswood trees (Tilia spp.).

In the imagined taxonomy, Basswoodkuorella resides in the kingdom Fungi, phylum Basidiomycota, class Agaricomycetes, and order Agaricales, with Basswoodaceae as its family and Basswoodkuorella as the genus. The fruiting body is a small to medium shelf conk, typically 5–10 cm across, with a smooth to slightly ribbed upper surface and a pore-bearing underside that ranges from pale cream to light brown.

It is described as saprotrophic, decomposing heartwood and contributing to nutrient cycling in basswood forests. It may colonize dead branches through wounds in living trees and can appear after seasonal rains. Spore production occurs in the autumn, with wind-borne basidiospores dispersing to new hosts.

Historically, the fictional species is said to have been first described in a field study conducted in northeastern North America in the mid-2010s by researchers cited in the hypothetical literature. The name combines a reference to basswood with the -ella suffix common in fungal nomenclature, chosen to reflect its host association while signaling its distinct genus.

In educational contexts, Basswoodkuorella serves as an example of how host-specific wood-decay fungi are classified, described, and discussed, illustrating taxonomy, morphology, and ecology without implying the existence of a real organism.