| Title |
A Survey of the Geographic Distribution of Ophiocordyceps sinensis |
| Author |
Yi Li1,2, Xiao-Liang Wang1,2, Lei Jiao1, Yi Jiang1, Hui Li3, Si-Ping Jiang3, Ngarong Lhosumtseiring4, Shen-Zhan Fu1, Cai-Hong Dong1, Yu Zhan1, and Yi-Jian Yao1* |
| Address |
1State Key Laboratory of Mycology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, P. R. China, 2Graduate University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, P. R. China, 3Tibet Plateau Institute of Biology, Lhasa 850001, P. R. China, 4The Bureau of Science and Technology, Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai 815000, P. R. China |
| Bibliography |
Journal of Microbiology, 49(6),913-919, 2011,
|
| DOI |
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| Key Words |
distribution, Ophiocordyceps sinensis, Tibetan Plateau |
| Abstract |
Ophiocordyceps sinensis is one of the best known fungi in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Many efforts have been devoted to locating the production areas of this species resulting in various reports; however, its geographic distribution remains incompletely understood. Distribution of O. sinensis at the county level is clarified in this work based on both a literature search and fieldwork. More than 3600 publications related to O. sinensis were investigated, including scientific papers, books, and online information. Herbarium specimens of O. sinensis and field collections made by this research group during the years 2000-2010 were examined to verify the distribution sites. A total of 203 localities for O. sinensis have been found, of which 106 are considered as confirmed distribution sites, 65 as possible distribution sites, 29 as excluded distribution sites and three as suspicious distribution sites. The results show that O. sinensis is confined to the Tibetan Plateau and its surrounding regions, including Tibet, Gansu, Qinghai, Sichuan, and Yunnan provinces in China and in certain areas of the southern flank of the Himalayas, in the countries of Bhutan, India and Nepal, with 3,000 m as the lowest altitude for the distribution. The fungus is distributed from the southernmost site in Yulong Naxi Autonomous County in northwestern Yunnan Province to the northernmost site in the Qilian Mountains in Qilian County, Qinghai Province, and from the east edge of the Tibetan Plateau in Wudu County, Gansu Province to the westernmost site in Uttarakhand, India. The clarification of the geographic distribution of O. sinensis will lay the foundation for conservation and sustainable use of the species. |
