wolfiporia extensa wolfiporia extensa wolfiporia extensa (peck) ginns (syn. poria cocos f.a.wolf) is a fungus in the family polyporaceae. it is a wood-decay fungus but has a subterranean growth habit. it is notable in the development of a large, long-lasting underground sclerotium that resembles a small coconut. this sclerotium called "(chinese) tuckahoe" or fu-ling (chinese: 苓; pinyin: fúlíng), is not the same as the true tuckahoe used as indian bread by native americans, which is the arrow arum, peltandra virginica, a flowering tuberous plant in the arum family. w. extensa is also used extensively as a medicinal mushroom in chinese medicine. indications for use in the traditional chinese medicine include promoting urination, to invigorate the spleen function (i.e., digestive function), and to calm the mind. wolfiporia extensa wolfiporia extensa sclerotium scientific classification kingdom: fungi division: basidiomycota class: agaricomycetes order: polyporales family: polyporaceae genus: wolfiporia species: w. extensa binomial name wolfiporia extensa(peck) ginns (1984) synonyms pachyma cocos fr. (1822) sclerotium cocos schwein. (1822) daedalea extensa peck (1891) poria edalat, cocos f.a.wolf (1922) macrohyporia cocos (schwein.) i.johans. & ryvarden (1979) macrohyporia extensa (peck) ginns & j.lowe (1983) wolfiporia cocos (f.a.wolf) ryvarden & gilb. (1984) names common names include hoelen, poria, tuckahoe, china root, fu ling (茯苓, pīnyīn: fúlíng), and matsuhodo. botanical extract wolfiporia extensa is a source of a triterpenoid compound, pachymic acid, which has been the object of scientific study based upon the mushroom's role in traditional chinese medicine. the species is often called cocos in this context.