ABSTRACT
The white-rot polypore genera Ganoderma (Polyporales, Basidiomycota) has a global distribution and includes several economically important species. However, taxonomically Ganoderma is one of the most complex and misunderstood genera among the polypores, and the species names are often misused, especially in applied mycological studies. Therefore, in this contribution the following topics have been rewieved: (i) systematic state of Ganoderma genus and its relative genera; (ii) possibilities of species separation; (iii) current taxonomical state and biogeography of the most important Ganodermaspecies (e.g., G. applanatum, G. boninense, G. lucidum, G. lingzhi, G. sinense and G. tsugae) based on the light of most recent research results.
