gastornis:

Pleurotus nebrodensis, known as the White Ferula Mushroom in English, is a critically endangered fungus native to the island of Sicily in Italy.

Its range is fragmented and limited to limestone substrates of the Madonie Mountains, where the entire species is restricted to altitudes between 1,200-2,000m within a 39 sq. mi. radius. Even still, they can only grow in pastures also containing “Basilicu”, or Cachrys ferulacea, a member of the celery family.

It is thought that only around 250 Pleurotus nebrodensis reach maturity each year and the population is currently in decline.

Venturella, G. 2006. Pleurotus nebrodensis. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 23 April 2012.

(Top photo credit: Tripsis)
(Bottom photo credit: Enzo De Santis)

LEARN MORE:

Lv H, Kong Y, Yao Q, Zhang B, Leng F, Bian H, Balzarini J, Van Damme E, Bao J. 2009. Nebrodeolysin, a novel hemolytic protein from mushroom Pleurotus nebroensis with apoptosis-inducing and anti-HIV-1 effects. Phytomedicine. 16(2-3): 198-205

Miyazawa N, Okazaki M, Ohga S. 2008.Antihypertensive Effect of Pleurotus nebrodensis in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats. Journal of Oleo Science. 57(12): 675-681

(Source: life-science, via mycology)