Heterobasidion annosum is a basidiomycete fungus in the family Bondarzewiaceae. It is considered to be the most economically important forest pathogen in the Northern Hemisphere. Heterobasidion annosum is widespread in forests in the United States and is responsible for the loss of one billion U.S. dollars annually. This fungus has been known by many different names. First described by Fries in 1821, it was known by the name Polyporus annosum. Later, it was found to be linked to conifer disease by Robert Hartig in 1874, and was renamed Fomes annosus by H. Karsten. Its current name of Heterobasidion annosum was given by Brefeld in 1888. Heterobasidion annosum causes one of the most destructive diseases of conifers.Adomas A, Asiebu FO, Stenlid J. (2005). Conifer root and butt rot caused by Heterobasidion annosum (Fr.) Bref. s.l. Molecular Plant Pathology 6(4): 395–409 The disease caused by the fungus is named annosus root rot.
No narrative description available for this taxon yet.
Compounds documented for Heterobasidion annosum across natural-product and food-composition databases — not just the ~150 nutrients on a classic label ("nutritional dark matter").
A DNA barcode is a short, standardised stretch of genes that works like a fingerprint — enough to tell one species from another. Below is the molecular trace Heterobasidion annosum has left across the world's sequence archives.
At a glance
DNA specimens25
Marker genes1
GenBank sequences10
eDNA detections185
Countries18
The DNA barcodea real sequence read deposited for this species
Heterobasidion annosum strain CIRM-BRFM 2673 small subunit ribosomal RNA gene, partial sequence; internal transcribed spacer 1 and 5.8S ribosomal RNA gene, complete sequence; and internal transcribed spacer 2, partial sequence
Marker genes sequenced
★ the standard DNA barcode for this group — the short region actually read to tell this species apart. The rest are extra genes sequenced along the way.
★ITS10
fungal barcode
06Genome at a glanceGoaT · NCBI
The complete instruction manualHeterobasidion annosum carries — its genome. We read it from three angles — how big it is, how the DNA is packed into chromosomes, and how completely it has been sequenced — and explain how to read each value as you go.
Genome sizehow big the whole instruction manual is
Genome size33 100 000 bp
Measured in base pairs (bp) — the individual letters of DNA (human ≈ 3.2 Gb, a bacterium a few million). The chart places this genome on a logarithmic scale — each step to the right is ten times bigger — among reference organisms. Across species a bigger genome loosely tracks with larger cells, slower growth and lower-energy lifestyles (powered flight favours small genomes) — yet it does not imply more genes or a more advanced organism (the long-standing C-value paradox).
BACTERIUM Carsonella ruddii0.00016 Gb
THIS GENOME Heterobasidion annosum0.03 Gb
FUNGUS0.04 Gb
INSECT0.25 Gb
HUMAN3.2 Gb
WHEAT17 Gb
FERN Tmesipteris160.45 Gb
Sequencing statusassembly quality — how far to trust these numbers
Assembly level tells you how finished the sequence is — from fragmented contigs, through scaffolds, up to a full chromosome-level assembly. BUSCO % estimates completeness: the share of genes expected to be present that were actually found. These describe the data quality, not the organism.
Assembly levelScaffold
Completeness93.9% BUSCO
08Occurrence & distribution
Record type29 779 records
Wild obs. + sensor27 931
Museum / vouchered1 821
Cultivated / captive19
Other8
Range
Area of Occupancy AOO37 728 km²
Wildobservation + sensor
Human sightings and records, or camera-trap / sensor detections — someone (or a device) saw or captured the species in the wild.
Coordinate accuracy30% within 1 km
≤100 m 4 914≤1 km 2 277≤10 km 16 986>10 km 182
24 359 georeferenced · 3 572 without coordinates
Open the mapobservation + sensor27 931
Museum / Voucheredphysical evidence
Backed by a physical specimen — a herbarium sheet, sample or voucher held in a collection. “Vouchered” means supported by material evidence, not just an observation.
Coordinate accuracy61% within 1 km
≤100 m 262≤1 km 329≤10 km 335>10 km 42
968 georeferenced · 853 without coordinates
Open the institutions mapphysical evidence1 821
Cultivated / Captivenot free-living
A living individual in a botanical garden, zoo or nursery — cultivated or kept, not free-living.
Coordinate accuracy
no georeferenced coordinates · 19 records without
Open the mapnot free-living19
Wildobservation + sensor
Human sightings and records, or camera-trap / sensor detections — someone (or a device) saw or captured the species in the wild.
10Collections & institutions
Holding institutions38 of 77 geolocated
Institutions and collections holding physical, vouchered specimens of this species — click a row to fly to it on the map.
Institution
Specimens
Olocation not on record
237
SLU Artdatabankenlocation not on record
220
Mexico City, MX
84
GJOlocation not on record
70
Görlitz, DE
65
Uppsala, SE
53
Karlsruhe, DE
49
Bronx, US
39
Zapopan, MX
39
Copenhagen, DK
30
Kew, GB
29
Tartu, EE
25
Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznańlocation not on record
21
Trondheim, NO
18
San Sebastián, ES
17
WTUlocation not on record
16
WU-MYClocation not on record
16
LDlocation not on record
16
Slovenian Forestry Institutelocation not on record
16
Philadelphia, US
16
Umeå Universitylocation not on record
15
Museo Entomologico de Leonlocation not on record
14
IFR-DNFlocation not on record
12
University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU)location not on record
12
Uniwersytet Łódzkilocation not on record
11
Chicago, US
11
Göteborg, SE
10
Mlocation not on record
10
TROMlocation not on record
9
Auckland, NZ
9
Universidade de Lisboa, Museu Bocagelocation not on record
8
Salzburg, AT
7
MAlocation not on record
6
Blacksburg, US
6
Joensuu, FI
6
Pullman, US
5
BRNUlocation not on record
5
Bardejov, SK
5
HabitatVisionlocation not on record
5
Durango, MX
5
Department of Plant Resources, National Herbarium and Plant Laboratorieslocation not on record
4
nsnflocation not on record
4
Université de Montréal Biodiversity Centrelocation not on record
4
Toronto, CA
4
ILLSlocation not on record
4
Instituto Tecnológico de Ciudad Victorialocation not on record
4
Vancouver, CA
3
Vitoria, ES
3
DPIlocation not on record
3
Winterthur, CH
3
Natural History Museum Rotterdamlocation not on record
3
Jyväskylä, FI
3
BioFokuslocation not on record
3
Staten Island, US
3
Beltsville, US
2
MeiseBGlocation not on record
2
Catholic University of Pekinglocation not on record
2
Durham, US
2
Ciudad de México, MX
1
Leicester, GB
1
Natural History Museum, Tribhuvan Universitylocation not on record
1
Bernard Price Institute for Palaeontological Researchlocation not on record
1
Helsinki, FI
1
JA-CAGPDS-CAMlocation not on record
1
Canberra, AU
1
Tilburg, NL
1
Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistanlocation not on record
1
University of Oslo, Natural History Museumlocation not on record
1
Gijón, ES
1
TENN-Flocation not on record
1
UJEDlocation not on record
1
Warsaw, PL
1
Davis and Elkins Collegelocation not on record
1
Oskarshamn, SE
1
Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung: Senckenberg Forschungsinstitut und Naturmuseumlocation not on record
1
BDBClocation not on record
1
Ann Arbor, US
1
77 institutions · 1 322 of 1 821 vouchered records shown · 482 without an institution code
Cultivated / Captivenot free-living
A living individual in a botanical garden, zoo or nursery — cultivated or kept, not free-living.
09Environmental DNA185 detections
Where the DNA of Heterobasidion annosum was picked up in samples of water, soil or air — nobody saw the organism, only its DNA left behind. A trace is a clue that the species was near, not a confirmed sighting.
Signal
Detections DNA found185
Studies independent surveys3
Countries18
Signal confidence: moderateweighed across independent studies, places & mapped detections
Where its DNA was found
0 of 185 detections have coordinates
Open the map18 countries0
PÃ¥ furu. Hasselskog, med furu og noe gran
How strong is each trace?
DNA read depthRead counts were not reported for this species — the map shows presence only, not how strong each trace was.
Modelled climatemodelled
−15°Ctemperature across detection sites+40°C
Temperature median8.40 °C 0.7–15.9
Seasonal swing summer↔winter18.1 °C
Max temp (day)12.5 °C 3.70–20.1
Min temp (night)4.20 °C -2.80–11.7
Precipitation67.9 mm/mo 41.6–148
Air humidity60.4 % 57.8–66.8
Moisture balance-1.80 mm/mo -51.1–78.2
Vapour deficit428 Pa 232–746
Wind speed3.20 m/s 2.40–4.20
Cloud cover43.5 % 36.8–54.1
CHELSA 1981–2010, ~9 km grid, at location & month of 178 detection points · median with p10–p90 · reflects where sampling happened, not only the true niche
How to read this: each dot is one detection of this species' DNA in an environmental sample. The confidence meter weighs how many independent studies and places back up the signal — one detection in one study is a hint; many across several studies is solid. Records dated before 2008 (when eDNA methods began) are treated as likely mislabeled and left off the map.
WikipediaWikimedia Foundation9 languages↗
BioWikiNetmultilingual Wikipediamultilingual↗
GBIFGlobal Biodiversity Information Facility29 779 records↗
ENAEuropean Nucleotide Archive · EMBL-EBI185 eDNA detections↗
BOLD SystemsCentre for Biodiversity Genomics25 specimens↗
NCBIUS National Library of Medicinesequences↗
LOTUSNatural Products (Wikidata)compounds↗
NPASSNat. Product Activity & Species Sourcecompounds↗
Open Tree of LifeOpenTreephylogeny backbone↗
GoaTGenomes on a Tree · Sangergenome & karyotype↗
Catalogue of LifeCOLtaxonomy↗
GLoBIGlobal Biotic Interactionsbiotic interactions↗