Phonetic: Tham-knee-dee-um

Thamnidium is widespread, but not often found. It has been isolated from soils, dung, decaying vegetation, fruiting bodies of the Basidiomycetes and various organic substrates. The most common species is Thamnidium elegans, which prefers growth in dung and soil, but is often utilized as a beef flavoring and tenderizing fungus on meat in cold storage. This species is also heterothallic (having both male and female sexual organs that are incompatible) and forms zygospores that resemble those of Mucor and Rhizopus, but they are produced best at low temperatures such as, 6°-7°C, and not at 20°C. (A_w – 0.94). Culture - Potato dextrose agar or Malt extract agar, 6° – 7°C.