Unidentified rich purple jelly fungus

[Kath Ward]

Found at the usual haunt of Buckinghamshire Nature Reserve on rotting moss covered tree stump.
Experts to the fore again please for the three attached photos. Are the two smaller red blobs on pic1 the same jelly species in infant stage or different species altogether?

Kath

[NickCantle]

Hiya Kath...

From where I'm sitting, the first thing that popped into my head was the Purple Jellydisk - Ascocoryne sarcoides. Worth a bit of research I think. Have a look in the Gallery to see if you can effectively compare. I've never seen this species I have to say! I'd like to. Could get some incredibly stunning images with the beautifully coloured bodies. I don't think that the dots that you pointed out have anything to do with the Jellydisks. Probably another fungi

Nick

[Leif]

It is an Ascocoryne species, either A. sarcoides or A. cylichnium. You will need a microscope at ~1000x to separate them as the spores are quite different. Mature specimens are top like disks.

I have heard that the latter species does not form the immature stage seen in your photos but I am not sure about that, so unless someone else can chime in, there is no way to make a firm id.

These species are very common on dead wood such as Beech and Oak, especially in wet weather and in late Autumn. Phillips just says "grows on wood" but I have never seen them on soft wood.

[PMG]

Kath, Nick and Leif - my first thought was definitely ascocoryne but having also been told that they are impossible to seperate without microscopy my finds go down as ascocoryne sp!

I wonder if the red blobs were eyelash fungus? Just an idle thought!

Super pics by the way Kath

Pauline

[Fungus Ken]

This is actually the condial (or imperfect) stage of Ascocoryne sarcoides and Leif is right that the literature does not mention Ascocoryne cylichnium having a similar conidial stage.

So if you see this sort of growth you can safely record Ascocoryne sarcoides. (You wouldn't get any ascospores from the condial stage to help identification in any case.)

Ken

PS The red blobs are something different but there isn't enough information in the photo to go on.

[Kath Ward]

Thank you one and all for your identification, helpful words, and appreciation of the photos. I am really enjoying this new hobby, and think the forum is great, and the members really good at encouraging the novices.

Thanks again all, I really appreciate all comments.
Kath