Albatrellus avellaneus

Pouzar

a fungus

G3Vulnerable Found in 2 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G3VulnerableGlobal Rank
High - mediumThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.57.9763
Element CodeNFNHP00001
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryFungus
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomFungi
PhylumBasidiomycota
ClassBasidiomycetes
OrderRussulales
FamilyAlbatrellaceae
GenusAlbatrellus
Concept Reference
Castellano, M. A., J. E. Smith, T. O'Dell, E. Cazares and S. Nugent. 1999. Handbook to strategy 1 fungal species in the Northwest Forest Plan. USDA Forest Service General Technical Report PNW-GTR-476. Northwest Research Station, Portland, OR. 195 pp. Online. Available: https://www.fs.usda.gov/pnw/pubs/pnw_gtr476.pdf
Conservation Status
Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2
Review Date2022-07-21
Change Date2022-07-21
Edition Date2022-07-21
Edition AuthorsLorelei L Norvell (2002), rev. C. Nordman (2022).
Threat ImpactHigh - medium
Range Extent200,000-2,500,000 square km (about 80,000-1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences21 - 80
Rank Reasons
Albatrellus avellaneus occurs in coastal forests of northwestern North America (from northern California to southeastern Alaska), and east to at least the Cascade Range. There are estimated to be at least 50 locations, it may be under-reported, and the population appears to be stable. Threats include high intensity wildfire, development, road building and clearcut logging.
Range Extent Comments
Albatrellus avellaneus is known western North America, along the Pacific coast from northern California, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, to southeast Alaska. It mainly occurs in the Coastal Range, but some occurrences are known from the Cascades, and Blue Mountains in Oregon, and nearby western Idaho. The range extent is estimated to be 1,100,000 square kilometers. It has been reported disjunct in Oaxaca, Mexico but these and other disjunct occurrences need genetic confirmation (iNaturalist 2022, Loring 2019, MyCoPortal 2022, NatureServe 2022, Norvell 1995, Siegel 2021).
Occurrences Comments
There are at least 50 occurrences (documented with observations or collections) of Albatrellus avellaneus (iNaturalist 2022, Loring 2019, MyCoPortal 2022, NatureServe 2022). It may be more common within the known range, it remains under-reported, partially due to the misapplication of the name Albatrellus ovinus to records which may actually be this species (Siegel 2021).
Threat Impact Comments
Primary threats to populations of Albatrellus avellaneus include activities resulting in the loss of overstory, removal of host tree species, removal of litter and duff, and compaction or other soil disturbances. Natural and human-induced fires are also a threat, especially those with high heat intensity at ground level which result in tree mortality. Potentially threatening activities include logging (such as clearcutting or heavy thinning), certain kinds of fuels management, wildfire, and road, parking lot, campground, and trail construction. The above threats can each have negative effects on the fungal mycelium, the tree roots with which it associates, and sporocarp production. The loss of or damage to mycelium or associated root structures can result in extirpation or reduced population size, while reduction of sporocarp production can result in negative effects on reproduction and spore dispersal (Loring 2019).
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Albatrellus avellaneus forms ectomycorrhizal associations with conifer trees of the Pinaceae, such as Pseudotsuga menziesii, Tsuga heterophylla, Picea sitchensis, P. engelmannii, Abies grandis, and A. amabilis, especially in old-growth stands, but also in younger forests. Numerous locations are in coastal Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis)-Western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla) forests, at very low elevations (near sea level), but it can occur as high as 1768 meters (5800 feet) elevation (Castellano et al. 1999, Loring 2019, Seigel 2021, Trudell and Ammirati 2009).

Reproduction

Fruiting occurs in fall, with long-lasting fruitbodies (Seigel 2021).
Terrestrial Habitats
Forest/WoodlandForest - Conifer
Other Nations (2)
CanadaN3
ProvinceRankNative
British ColumbiaS3Yes
United StatesN3
ProvinceRankNative
OregonS1Yes
IdahoSNRYes
AlaskaSNRYes
CaliforniaSNRYes
WashingtonSNRYes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
1 - Residential & commercial developmentSmall (1-10%)Serious or 31-70% pop. declineHigh (continuing)
1.3 - Tourism & recreation areasSmall (1-10%)Serious or 31-70% pop. declineHigh (continuing)
4 - Transportation & service corridorsSmall (1-10%)Serious or 31-70% pop. declineHigh (continuing)
4.1 - Roads & railroadsSmall (1-10%)Serious or 31-70% pop. declineHigh (continuing)
5 - Biological resource useRestricted (11-30%)Serious - moderateHigh (continuing)
5.3 - Logging & wood harvestingRestricted (11-30%)Serious - moderateHigh (continuing)
7 - Natural system modificationsRestricted (11-30%)Serious - moderateHigh (continuing)
7.1 - Fire & fire suppressionRestricted (11-30%)Serious - moderateHigh (continuing)
7.1.1 - Increase in fire frequency/intensityRestricted (11-30%)Serious - moderateHigh (continuing)

Plant Characteristics
DurationEPHEMERAL FRUITING BODY
Economic Value (Genus)No
Roadless Areas (2)
Oregon (1)
AreaForestAcres
TahkenitchSiuslaw National Forest5,799
Washington (1)
AreaForestAcres
Red LakeGifford Pinchot National Forest2,162
References (18)
  1. CABI Bioscience, Centraalbureau voor Schimmelcultures & Manaaki Whenua - Landcare Research Databases. 2005. Index fungorum. Available at www.indexfungorum.org (Accessed 2005).
  2. Casselman, A. 2007. Strange but True: The Largest Organism on Earth Is a Fungus. Scientific American. 4 October 2007. Online. Available: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/strange-but-true-largest-organism-is-fungus/ (Accessed 2022).
  3. Castellano, M. A., J. E. Smith, T. O'Dell, E. Cazares and S. Nugent. 1999. Handbook to strategy 1 fungal species in the Northwest Forest Plan. USDA Forest Service General Technical Report PNW-GTR-476. Northwest Research Station, Portland, OR. 195 pp. Online. Available: https://www.fs.usda.gov/pnw/pubs/pnw_gtr476.pdf
  4. Christy, John A. Personal communication. Wetlands/Aquatic Ecologist, Oregon Natural Heritage Information Center/Information Office of the Oregon Natural Resources Institute, Portland, OR.
  5. Ginns, J., and M.N.L. Lefebvre. 1993. Lignicolous corticioid fungi of North America: systematics, distribution, and ecology. Mycologia Memoirs 19, APS Press, St Paul.
  6. iNaturalist. 2022. Online. Available: https://www.inaturalist.org (accessed 2022).
  7. Index Fungorum and Species Fungorum. 2018. <i>In</i> Index Fungorum-Species Fungorum (<a href="https://indexfungorum.org" target="_blank">https://indexfungorum.org</a> and <a href="https://speciesfungorum.org" target="_blank">https://speciesfungorum.org</a>) database export on 16 June 2018. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  8. Index Fungorum and Species Fungorum. 2025. <i>In</i> Index Fungorum-Species Fungorum (<a href="https://indexfungorum.org" target="_blank">https://indexfungorum.org</a> and <a href="https://speciesfungorum.org" target="_blank">https://speciesfungorum.org</a>) database export on 29 September 2025. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  9. ISMS-ONH 2002 database &amp; GIS map for ALAV.
  10. Loring, S. 2019. Species Fact Sheet for <i>Albatrellus avellaneus. </i>Prepared for US Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management Interagency Special Status/Sensitive Species Program (ISSSSP). Edited by R. Huff, May 2019. Online. Available: https://www.fs.fed.us/r6/sfpnw/issssp/species-index/flora-fungi.shtml (Accessed 2022).
  11. MycoBank. 2025. MycoBank database download, export date January 2025. International Mycological Association. [http://www.mycobank.org]
  12. MyCoPortal. 2022. Mycology Collections Portal. Online. Available: https://www.mycoportal.org/portal/index.php. (Accessed 2022).
  13. NatureServe. 2022. NatureServe Network Biodiversity Location Data. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia.
  14. Norvell. 1995. ROD: Strategy 1 Fungal Species Evaluation (30 gilled &amp; nongilled Basidiomycete species). Unpubl. report on file at the Regional Mycology Lab, Corvallis, Oregon.
  15. Pouzar E. 1972. Contribution to the knowledge of the genus Albatrellus (Polyporaceae) I. A conspectus of species of the North temperate zone. Ceska Mykol. 26: 194-200.
  16. Siegel, N. 2021. <i>Albatrellus avellaneus</i>. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021: e.T195921556A195927165. Online. Available: https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-2.RLTS.T195921556A195927165.en (Accessed 2022).
  17. Species Fungorum. Species Fungorum Partnership (CABI, IT IS, Catalogue of Life). http://www.speciesfungorum.org. (accessed 2015)
  18. Trudell, S., and J. Ammirati. 2009. Mushrooms of the Pacific Northwest. Timber Press Inc., Portland. 349 pp.