pulparum

Pulparum is a fictional genus of saprotrophic fungi created for speculative biology and educational use. In this context, it serves as an example of fruiting-body morphology and fungal taxonomy. The name combines Latin pulpa, pulp, with the suffix -arum to evoke its pulpy texture.

Taxonomic placement in fictional sources places Pulparum in the Basidiomycota, class Agaricomycetes, order Polyporales, family Pulparaceae. Some writers treat it as incertae sedis within the broader group to emphasize uncertainty in early-stage taxonomy.

Description: The fruit bodies are small, cushion-like, 1-3 centimeters across, with a smooth to gelatinous surface that can appear amber, orange, or reddish. The interior is pulpy and pale to ochre. Under the microscope, it produces ellipsoid basidiospores about 6-9 micrometers in length, with a thick, dextrinoid wall in some depictions.

Habitat and ecology: Pulparum is described as a saprotroph of decaying hardwood and fruit debris, commonly found in temperate forest litter. It is portrayed as a rapid colonizer after rainfall, contributing to the breakdown of cellulose and hemicellulose, and in certain narratives as forming weak ectomycorrhizal associations.

History and usage: The genus appears in speculative biology literature and in educational exercises to illustrate how morphology, ecology, and phylogeny are integrated in taxonomic descriptions. It is not recognized as a real taxon in current scientific databases.