First Foray

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Yesterday JP and I ventured out in the face of an ominous weather forecast and spent two very successful and surprisingly rain free hours in Bowdown Wood near Newbury. Sometimes ankle deep in mud in order to find first evidence of Scarlet Elfcup alongside the stream where last year hundreds carpeted the length of the gully, and precariously scaling steep slippery banks to access known locations to find old overwintered specimens of Ischnoderma benzoinum, Inonotus radiatus and Rhodotus palmatus, we eventually returned satisfyingly triumphant to the control tower on Greenham Common with records of several interesting species:




A couple need verification though we think they are Bjerkandera and Stereum:



I hope JP will fill the gaps in the list including the LBJ (Galerina?) when he has finished peering down his microscope in the hope of identifying the unknowns.

We are now both optimistically looking forward to another year full of interesting surprises for the Mushketeers.

Cheers

David

[KeenTeen17]

sound like you had a great day. scarlet elf cups are still the top of my list. will they still be up on feb 16th?

[cybershot]

Originally Posted by KeenTeen17

sound like you had a great day. scarlet elf cups are still the top of my list. will they still be up on feb 16th?

We are returning to the location in Feb when we expect them to be at their best for this neck of the woods. Both Leif Goodwin and I photographed them last year at that time. Down in Somerset they seem to be more advanced judging by Kiff's submissions in the Gallery.

Good luck KT - look for damp, fallen moss covered deciduous logs/branches alongside watercourses.

Cheers
David

[cybershot]

ERRATA: Just heard from JP and the microscopy he carried out identifies the above misnamed M. aurea as Basidioradulum radula (We had good cause to assume the former ID as last year an adjacent similar find was verified by ABFG - just shows you can't be too careful when judging macro features alone)

X20 x1000




Well done mate I'll try not to jump the gun in future - now back to that LBJ!

Cheers
David

[kiff]

Originally Posted by cybershot

We are returning to the location in Feb when we expect them to be at their best for this neck of the woods. Both Leif Goodwin and I photographed them last year at that time. Down in Somerset they seem to be more advanced judging by Kiff's submissions in the Gallery.

Good luck KT - look for damp, fallen moss covered deciduous logs/branches alongside watercourses.

Cheers
David

yea the elf's start work early down here so they need there cupsfor the cider
they are putting on a good display this year, and still plenty of Flammulina at the top of the hill,

[cybershot]

Originally Posted by cybershot

Well done mate I'll try not to jump the gun in future - now back to that LBJ!
Cheers
David

JP has supplied the micrographs and even with the help of FOS I still can't pin it down

[mollisia]

Hallo,

its in vol. 4, picture 436. At least what I think it is ...

The microscopy of the gill shows one basidium and one thing which is most probably a young basidium without the sterigmata. I'm quite sure that it is not a cystidia, because the whole edge must be densly covered with cystidia in that species. They are somewhat unconspicious and ressemble young basidia, but when you get the edge you will clearly see the difference what are cystidia and what are basidioles. So no help but making another preparation when you want to see the cystidia ...

best regards,
Andreas

[cybershot]

Originally Posted by mollisia

Hallo,

its in vol. 4, picture 436. At least what I think it is ...

The microscopy of the gill shows one basidium and one thing which is most probably a young basidium without the sterigmata. I'm quite sure that it is not a cystidia, because the whole edge must be densly covered with cystidia in that species. They are somewhat unconspicious and ressemble young basidia, but when you get the edge you will clearly see the difference what are cystidia and what are basidioles. So no help but making another preparation when you want to see the cystidia ...

best regards,
Andreas

Hello Andreas and thank you for that tentative steer towards what we know as Phaeogalera dissimulans

Basidiomycota Checklist-Online - Species Page

You've certainly peaked my interest and further research indicates you could possibly be on to something of a rarity in the UK:

Phaeogalera dissimulans (Berk. & Broome) Holec, 2003 (a toadstool)

JP had already found basidia with multi sterigmata (I greatly appreciate his decision to humour me and take home an LBJ for microscopic analysis - Thanks for the time and effort mate!)



so now we should go and seek out those elusive cystidia before we get too excited. The BMS dataset has 121 records (only 1 last year) and ABFG's new up and coming CATE has only 4.

So much for my thoughts of Tubaria romagnesiana.

It would be nice to pin this one down so JP and I may return to Bowdown Wood for another specimen from the small colony in order to send it off for verification.

Thanks again for all your encouragement.

Best regards

David

[cybershot]

Yesterday saw mission accomplished and now JP and I have fresh specimens to send off to ABFG/Kew for verification. But the more I research this species, with the assistance of JP and his microscope, the more I suspect that Andreas is spot on with his ID. Long may he, Chris and the other mycologists, who readily give us the benefit of their expertise, continue to submit their invaluable contributions to WAB: Thanks folks - much appreciated!



Possible Phaeogalera dissimulans syn Pholiota oedipus

[cybershot]

Originally Posted by cybershot

I hope JP will fill the gaps in the list including the LBJ (Galerina?) when he has finished peering down his microscope in the hope of identifying the unknowns.

We are now both optimistically looking forward to another year full of interesting surprises for the Mushketeers.

Cheers

David

Cheilymenia fimicola
Exidia recisa
Tremella mesenterica
Pleurotus ostreatus
Sarcoscypha austriaca
Auricularia mesenterica
Stereum hirsutum
Daldinia concentrica
Auricularia auricula-judae
Sirpula himantiodes
Phellinus ferreus
Daedaleopsis confragosa
Ischnoderma benzoinum
Piptoporus betulinus
Xylaria hypoxylon
Bulgaria inquinans
Chlorociboria aeruginascens
Exidia glandulosa
Bjerkandera adusta
Trametes versicolor
Schizopora paradoxa
Hyphodontia sambuci
Phlebia radiata
Basidioradulum radula
Panellus stipticus
Byssomerulius corium
Flammulina velutipes
Polyporus leptocephalus
Lenzites betulinus
Peniophora lycii
Lepista flaccida
Ascocoryne sarcoides
Polyporus brumalis
Exidia thuretiana
Phaeogalera dissimulans
Crepidotus epibryus
Mycena sp (Possible M.rorida)