Re-Examination of the Holotype of Ganoderma sichuanense ( Ganodermataceae , Polyporales ) and a Clarification of the Identity of Chinese Cultivated Lingzhi.

The widely cultivated Chinese Lingzhi is a famous fungus with significant medicinal and economic value, which has commonly been misidentified as Ganoderma lucidum for a long period of time. The scientific binomial of the fungus is always a hotly debated question that revolves around G . lingzhi and G . sichuanense . To interpret the species concept of the taxon, six specific primers for G . sichuanense and one universal primer were designed. Through directed and nested PCRs, we obtained nine ITS sequences from the holotype (HMAS 42798) of G . sichuanense . By genome sequencing, the ITS sequence of the first cultivated Lingzhi (HMAS 25103) was assembled. Based on a phylogenetic study of the genus Ganoderma , the correct name for widely cultivated Ganoderma species in China was confirmed as G . sichuanense , and G . lingzhi should be a later synonym.