Possible Enteridium lycoperdon

[FungiJohn]

I've just read the descriptions under the pictures in the Gallery ...Oops Enteridium lycoperdon

John

edit: I'm going to take that holiday I promised myself ... Clumber sounds good

[CapAndBracket]

When i have such a moment (often i know) somehow beech combing
seems attractive.

Cheers J.P.

[FungiJohn]

Originally Posted by CapAndBracket

When i have such a moment (often i know) somehow beech combing
seems attractive.

Cheers J.P.

Yes, there's nothing better than combing a good beech tree JP

John

[Hindpool]

I am grateful to forum members who have helped with identification, thank you all. Yesterday I took a walk out to see what stage had been reached and the story is told in the attached photos: nothing but a mass of spores awaiting dispersal.

Given the extremely small size of individual spores - about 6000 to the millimetre - the photomicrograph shows them at about the limit of resolution possible with my fairly modest 100x achromat. Nevertheless there is sufficient detail I think for an expert to provide positive identification.

[CapAndBracket]

I would be very happy with that spore image, if you keep some dry for a
while, then add water, next day put a drop of the water on a slide under the
scope, you will be able to see the flagelate stage swimming around, good
deal smaller than the spores but visible, unfortunately i couldn't get a useful
image of them but it was ramarkable to see.

Cheers J.P.

[thelawnet]

Originally Posted by Hindpool

This group of unidentified fungi was spotted on April 1st on the Wey Navigation in Surrey. The host is a fallen alder. A friend tells me he has been informed by an expert that the fungi may be Enteridium lycoperdon.

Positive identification would be welcomed; thank you.

I saw a very similar specimen on a tree in nearby Horsell Common a couple of days ago. It is milky, liquid really, when poked with a stick. I didn't get very far with identifying it.

[Hindpool]

Re. the interesting microscopical technique note from CapandBracket, thanks for that. In fact the photo shown was taken after I added a minute drop of water to some of the dusty-looking spores. The water (Volvic for what it is worth) transformed the viewing. I look forward to taking this the further step suggested and seeing the motile elements you mentioned. If I can get a shot I'll try to have it published here of course.

I have two confessions to make: one of stupidity and one of boorish rudeness. My stupidity was in averring that 6000 spores could fit in a space of 1 mm. In fact the spores seen against my eyepiece scale are about 6 micrometres or microns or 0.006 mm which would squeeze "only" 160 or so into a 1-mm gap.

My rudeness was in not acknowledging the expert and, I believe, member of this forum, whom I know only as Neil, for the original identification of Enteridium lycoperdon. Thank you Neil for that and thank you too John, who passed on my enquiry, for both the introduction and the slapped wrist.

[Morchella]

These look a lot like this specimen that I found on a dead oak tree last weekend


There was another one that I tried to examine more closely but it disintegrated in a cloud of brown dust.

[sarah64]

Originally Posted by Morchella

These look a lot like this specimen that I found on a dead oak tree last weekend


There was another one that I tried to examine more closely but it disintegrated in a cloud of brown dust.

I had something like this on my fence post a couple of weeks ago. Unfortunately didn't get a photo. The white pearly casing was very attractive and it eventually turned to a brown spore mass.