Fomes fomentarius, intraspecific variation, medicinal mushrooms, medicinal value, morphological variability, physiological variability, biochemical variability

The tinder polypore, Fomes fomentarius, is a wood-decaying macrofungus well known for its potential use in a wide range of biotechnological applications. The existence of 3 distinct internal transcribed spacer lineages/sublineages among its strains has been clearly established. Sublineage A1 consists of strains isolated from North America, whereas sublineage A2 consists of strains only from Europe. Lineage B comprises strains from Europe and Asia. A better understanding of the biological features of F. fomentarius lineages/sublineages could lead to improved characterization, leading to better biotechnological applications. The medicinal value of F. fomentarius is discussed.