Castle Howard Arboretum

[watsthat]

Had an outing to Castle Howard today, not too many fungi but I would appreciate confirmation/help with ID of the following esp if I could prevail on Mal`s local knowledge.

Amanita rubescens



Conocybe lactea



Boletus cisalpinus



Scleroderma citrinum



Russula under birch



Cheers

Pete

[Chris Yeates]

hi

2 is a Conocybe but definitely not lactea (or C. apala as it is now known) - appears to have a swollen stem-base but impossible without microscopy

cheers

Chris

[watsthat]

Originally Posted by Chris Yeates

hi

2 is a Conocybe but definitely not lactea (or C. apala as it is now known) - appears to have a swollen stem-base but impossible without microscopy

cheers

Chris

Thanks Chris, a year ago even establishing it as Conocybe would have been beyond me so thats progress!

Pete

[flaxton]

Pete
We will meet there one of these days hopefully. I am doing the Fungi Discovery Talk there in October.
I hate to use the microscopy excuse but your Bolete (Xerocomus) could be X. cisalpinus but it would be helpful. Alternatively, a lot of the Boletes and especially those moved (by some) to Xerocomus the colour change in the flesh is very important. The next one you find cut in half and note changes to the internal colour of both the cap and stipe. This may be to red and or blue and could be immediate or could take half an hour.

Mal

[flaxton]

Originally Posted by Chris Yeates

hi

2 is a Conocybe but definitely not lactea (or C. apala as it is now known) - appears to have a swollen stem-base but impossible without microscopy

cheers

Chris

C. apala "stem 60-140 x2-6mm gradually widened towards the 4-25mm broad basal bulb". Funga Nordica. Why not C apala?
This one was found over the road at CH



Mal

[Chris Yeates]

Originally Posted by flaxton

C. apala "stem 60-140 x2-6mm gradually widened towards the 4-25mm broad basal bulb". Funga Nordica. Why not C apala?
This one was found over the road at CH



Mal

careful Mal . . . you'll get me into the macrofungi again if I'm not careful

an interesting aspect of studying the fungi is looking at how they are endlessly adapting, searching out new niches, opportunities etc.

as a result, species which do not resemble each other at the macro level are found (thanks to chemotaxonomy, DNA studies etc.) to be closely related (and of course the opposite occurs . . . )

so Paxillus, Scleroderma (earth-balls) and Serpula lacrymans (dry rot) are all closely related to the boletes; the 'truffle' Hydnangium carneum is closely related to Laccaria - it's an introduction into Europe, always closely associated with Eucalyptus (and lo and behold Eucalyptus Deceiver | Wild About Britain - check out the colour and particularly the spores!)

it goes on . . . Conocybe apala is on its way to being a 'secotoid' agaric, where the cap does not fully expand (ultimately it remains closed and the fungus uses vectors other than air currents to disseminate its spores - often by adopting 'truffle' tactics); Pete's fungus is a classic broadly conical Conocybe - but look at your apala - and I have seen this species with a far less 'open' cap in the past

hence my comments

cheers

Chris

PS - I think I can see the confusion - Funga Nordica treats lactea (its "albipes") as separate from C. apala . . .

of "albipes" it states: "Cap 10-25 mm broad, 10-40 mm high, often almost cylindrical to narrowly conical, smooth, milky white to cream" which is what I have been saying above

FRDBI following Index Fungorum treats C. lactea (and indeed C. albipes) as a synonym of C. apala - I'm confused as we are clearly (?) talking about two distinct taxa here (I'm sure I remember Andreas muttering about this a while back - he may be able to shed some light)

oh how I love the microfungi!

[flaxton]

Thanks teacher The deeper you delve the more complex it becomes Oh for the days of trying to find the best fit your finds to "Phillips"

Mal

[watsthat]

Originally Posted by flaxton

Pete
We will meet there one of these days hopefully. I am doing the Fungi Discovery Talk there in October.
I hate to use the microscopy excuse but your Bolete (Xerocomus) could be X. cisalpinus but it would be helpful. Alternatively, a lot of the Boletes and especially those moved (by some) to Xerocomus the colour change in the flesh is very important. The next one you find cut in half and note changes to the internal colour of both the cap and stipe. This may be to red and or blue and could be immediate or could take half an hour.

Mal

Thanks Mal, I`ll try to remember that.

Re your talk in Oct, I was discussing it with the staff at the Arboretum and all being well, I should be there.

Re the Conocybe; was your picture at Castle Howard taken recently? because it does appear very similar to mine. Here is another shot for comparison.



Cheers

Pete

[flaxton]

Pete
I think my photo was last year, but until this discussion I would have said yours was C. apala. Now it looks as though there are two small white conocybe. More work needed.

Mal

[ManwithNoname]

Originally Posted by Chris Yeates

PS - I think I can see the confusion - Funga Nordica treats lactea (its "albipes") as separate from C. apala . . .

There are supposedly two taxa in section Candidae, having the very pale colouration, but the only consistent character for separating the two seems to be the shape of the cap.

In Conocybe apala var. albipes the cap is longer than wide, often distinctly elongated, and this seems to be much the more common of the two varieties in this country.

In Conocybe apala var. apala the cap expands during development to be broader than it is tall.

This seems to me a tenuous basis for separating two distinct species, but apparently you only find populations with one shape of cap, not both (although judging by the top photo there must be intermediates).

I assume Conocybe apala var. albipes is the Conocybe albipes of Funga Nordica (which I have yet to purchase).

Incidentally, both varieties can have the bulbous base to the stem.