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Cordyceps facts for kids

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Cordyceps
2010-08-06 Cordyceps militaris 1.jpg
Cordyceps militaris
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Division:
Class:
Sordariomycetes
Order:
Hypocreales
Family:
Cordycipitaceae
Genus:
Cordyceps

Fr. (1818)
Type species
Cordyceps militaris
(L.) Fr. (1818)

Cordyceps is a genus of ascomycete fungi (sac fungi) with about 400 species. Most Cordyceps species are parasitoids. They are parasitic mainly on insects and other arthropods. A few are parasitic on other fungi. The generic name Cordyceps is taken from the Greek word κορδύλη kordýlē, meaning "club", and the Latin stem -ceps, meaning "head".

The genus has a worldwide distribution. Most of the 400 species have been described from Asia (notably Nepal, China, Japan, Bhutan, Korea, Vietnam, and Thailand). Cordyceps species are particularly abundant and diverse in humid temperate and tropical forests.

Sources and uses

Cordyceps are used in traditional Chinese medicine, but there is currently no scientific evidence that their use has any clinical effect on human diseases.

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See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Cordyceps para niños

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