Penicillium vinaceum Gilman & AbbottPenicillium vinaceum J.C. Gilman & E.V. Abbott, Journal of Iowa State College, Sci. 1(3): 299 (1927)

MycoBank number: MB 281754; Index Fungorum number: IF 281754Facesoffungi number: FoF 10494;

(Possible synonyms: None

Description (Description with measurements of sexual and asexual state of species)

Saprobic in cold arid soils of Kargil, Ladakh India. Sexual state: Not observed.

Asexual state Conidiophores borne from single hyphae, stipes short, 12.6–30.8 × 1.6–2.8 µm, smooth-walled, strictly monoverticillate, nonvesiculate (Fig. 1g-h). Phialides in verticils of 4–7, ampulliform, 5.6–7.0 × 1.4–2.1 µm. Conidia spheroidal, smooth, measuring 1.5–2.5 µm, with obvious disjunctors between the conidia, borne in short disordered chains (Fig.1g–h, shown in arrows) Distinctive features: vinaceous exudates on CYA, short conidiophores, strictly monoverticillate and non-vesiculate stipe.

Material examined: Drass (Kargil) India, September 2017.

Distribution: Drass valley (2,800 masl), located in Kargil is also known as the Himalayan gateway to Ladakh and is considered as the coldest place in India and second coldest inhabited place in the world with temperature recorded below -45oC during the winters.

Sequence data: NA

Notes: This Penicillium is a rare species with limited distribution

Fig. 1 – a-c Penicillium roseopurpureum Dierckx. d-f Penicillium sclerotiorum Beyma.
g-j Penicillium vinaceum Gilman & Abbott. Colonies growing on CYA (b, e, j); Microphotographs (a, d, g); Camera lucida drawings (c, f, h–i). Scale bars: a, d, g = 10µm, c, f, h–i = 14µm.