Moorland Chanterelles?

Morchella · #1 (**permalink**) 14-09-2008, 10:57 PM

I was talking to my Dad about chanterelles a week or so back and he claimed that they were found in Shetland. Have to admit I laughed at this suggestion as I thought chanterelles grow in woodland and there are no (well almost no) trees in Shetland. He claimed that they were either growing on woody bits of heather or on old wood preserved in the peat and we left it at that.

Anyway on a long weekend in Dartmoor and up on Haytor I first found some yellow fungi that were definitely not chanterelles

and then came across these ones.

They have all the right characteristics, earthy smell, folded gills, uneven shape, but the gills don't look quite decurrent enough. Anyone have any ideas and, since the habitat is very similar, do I owe my Dad an apology?

He has been instructed to photograph anything he thinks is a Chanterelle!

NickCantle · #2 (**permalink**) 14-09-2008, 11:26 PM

You owe him nothing but a description of the Hygrocybe genus. These are Waxcaps

flaxton · #3 (**permalink**) 14-09-2008, 11:33 PM

Morchella
You were correct in not identifying them as Chanterelle they are both Waxcaps. As there are only two or three with such a viscus cap and although there is no real sign of green the first one is probably psittacina the second could be Hygrocybe pratensis

Mal

NickCantle · #4 (**permalink**) 14-09-2008, 11:34 PM

In all honesty H. pratensis was my initial thought for 2.

RobSutton · #5 (**permalink**) 15-09-2008, 04:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Morchella

I was talking to my Dad about chanterelles a week or so back and he claimed that they were found in Shetland. Have to admit I laughed at this suggestion as I thought chanterelles grow in woodland and there are no (well almost no) trees in Shetland. He claimed that they were either growing on woody bits of heather or on old wood preserved in the peat and we left it at that.

........

I don't know enough to comment on the fungi bit but the idea of woodland species being also found on heather moorland is not as daft as it seems. A lot of our heather moorland would have been woodland at one time and maybe even on Shetland there may have been low birch scrub on some of the moors at one time. Certainly a lot of the mosses and liverworts you get under heather are primarily woodland species and even plants such as Bilberry (Blaeberry in Scotland I believe) are really woodland species.

Morchella · #6 (**permalink**) 15-09-2008, 07:20 AM

Have had a look at H pratensis and it looks right to me - thanks.

Will see if I receive any photos.......

AlanS · #7 (**permalink**) 16-09-2008, 01:44 AM

Yes, the two waxcaps are undoubtedly Hygrocybe psittacina and H. pratensis.

An interesting feature of the far north is that woodland fungi can occur in "woodland" that is shorter than the fungi - i.e. with dwarf species of willow. Chanterelle is an example; it is recorded in Shetland as growing with Least Willow, Salix herbacea - Roy Watling (1992) The Fungus Flora of Shetland.

Note though that Chanterelle is a 'mycorrhizal' species, forming a mutually beneficial association with plant roots (in this case most often with birch). It does not grow on wood fragments. A "Chanterelle-like" species in moorland associated with woody debris is most likely one of the False Chanterelles, Hygrophoropsis aurantiaca or H. pallida, the latter being more the species of open moorland.

Alan

Andy Overall · #8 (**permalink**) 16-09-2008, 08:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlanS

Yes, the two waxcaps are undoubtedly Hygrocybe psittacina and H. pratensis.

An interesting feature of the far north is that woodland fungi can occur in "woodland" that is shorter than the fungi - i.e. with dwarf species of willow. Chanterelle is an example; it is recorded in Shetland as growing with Least Willow, Salix herbacea - Roy Watling (1992) The Fungus Flora of Shetland.

Note though that Chanterelle is a 'mycorrhizal' species, forming a mutually beneficial association with plant roots (in this case most often with birch). It does not grow on wood fragments. A "Chanterelle-like" species in moorland associated with woody debris is most likely one of the False Chanterelles, Hygrophoropsis aurantiaca or H. pallida, the latter being more the species of open moorland.

Alan

Hi Alan,

No.1 is not H.psittacina I'm afraid due to the decurrent gills, The Parrot Waxcap had adnate gills. It may well be H. laeta.

No. 2 = H. pratensis

Andy

fairplay · #9 (**permalink**) 16-09-2008, 09:00 AM

Brave chap Andy re: H. psittacina - it's a very localised species near me, so I knew it wasn't, but I didn't want to disagree with Mal.

Then Alan 'confirmed' it, so that put me in a dilemma, but luckily Andy to the rescue !!

So I back you up on this Andy.

Neil.

flaxton · #10 (**permalink**) 16-09-2008, 04:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fairplay

Brave chap Andy re: H. psittacina - it's a very localised species near me, so I knew it wasn't, but I didn't want to disagree with Mal.

Then Alan 'confirmed' it, so that put me in a dilemma, but luckily Andy to the rescue !!

So I back you up on this Andy.

Neil.

Guilty

I talked myself into seeing green to give psittacina without registering the attachment of the gills.

Neil don't be afraid of disagreeing with me or anyone for that matter I have made lots of mistakes some of which I have learned from some I am sure I will make again. If you can back up your reason for disagreeing rather than just for the sake of it then jump in.

Mal