Cordyceps ophioglossoides

[CapAndBracket]

What a bit of luck, it certainly fits the bill as Cordyceps ophioglossoides,
hopeing tommorow cybershot can photograph the group, then i gess we
better get digging.

Cheers J.P.

[NickCantle]

What an excellent find J.P!!! Do these parasite on Elaphomyces or insects?

[CapAndBracket]

Originally Posted by NickCantle

What an excellent find J.P!!! Do these parasite on Elaphomyces or insects?

And there's me less than a week ago saying i have never found a cordyceps.sp.

These should be on an Elaphomyces.sp (one of three (Ellis+Ellis)), hence
the digging to find out.

Cheers J.P.

[NickCantle]

Be careful though, the Elaphomyces are easily detatched. You'll need to dig deep and right under it to get it in one piece Good luck

[CapAndBracket]

X20

A cross section of the fertile head (unfortunately it got a little disstorted
in cutting), showing the near round asci are arranged horizontaly around
the fruit body, their exit holes for ejecting ripe spores looking like tiny
pimples on the outer surface.


X100

Seperating a few asci from the rest of the material was a steady task, they are nearly hyaline
(clear) and the middle one still shows the narrow neck which was connected to the exit pore.


X1000

The spores are quite remarkable in these, the long strands will break up and each minute square is a spore, (note dust seems to be getting into my scope and i don't knowy how)


Cheers J.P.

[cybershot]

What an exciting prospect for the forthcoming foray at Greenham. Most references indicate a parasitic relationship between this and Elaphomyces. Rogers stating, when referring to Elaphomyces muraticus: "Season all year but most easily found in autumn when the parasite Cordyceps ophioglossoides which often attacks this species may be seen above ground. Rare. Edibility unknown. Found In Europe."

[fairplay]

Just a note to say I found this last Sunday on Heathland near Ipswich, but despite digging quite deeply with a pocket knife, I failed to find the 'Truffle' it would have been attached to - and even more annoying, when I went back a few days later to show the site to friends, we failed to re-locate it.

Neil.

[CapAndBracket]

Oh dear, i won't be popular if i cannot refind it today, i did tie a couple of fronds of bracken around a nearby birch tree as an aide de memoire.
hope you find another this weekend.

Cheers J.P.

[fairplay]

Funny you say that J.P. - I've just come back from doing a foray this morning and one of our group this time found Codyceps militaris complete with the grub.

This is the third time I've seen it - all different sites, but I've still yet to find it for myself.

It's so dammed frustrating. !!!

Neil.

[PMG]

A few days ago at Turn Slack Clough we counted 18 militaris on just one little bit of pasture moorland - its the most we have ever come across in a season and I wonder if all the moorland was bursting with them in 100's...........?

Pauline