Crepidotus help!

[diggleken]

This little beauty, with a few more around was on old rotting blackened twigs deep under a bramble forest.
I am guessing Crepidotus epibryus from the downy cap, edge and gill structure with buffy brown spores.
Grateful, as ever for some advice...............
Cheers
Ken

[mollisia]

Hello Ken,

no chance without microscope!

best regards,
Andreas

[diggleken]

Thanks Andreas, thought as much! Starter one coming for birthday soon.
Is there any easy/beginner guidance on spore ID anyone?
Cheers
Ken

[Fungalpunk]

Best way with spores is to have a look at species you have identified macroscopically (ones you are really familiar with) and just get a feel for what you are looking at. Have a look at a few different types of fungi too such as the cup fungi, the puffballs and the general agarics.

I have found Congo Red to be a vital aid as it makes the spores clearer to see especially the colourless ones.

The Ink Caps are worth looking at and need no stain as the spores are nice and dark. The ganodermes could be a good starting point by trying to seperate Australe from Applanatum. Just get the measuring technique right and build up a familiarity.

Fungalpunk Dave

[Fungalpunk]

Oh the Crepidotus - there was a useful key in a recent Forayer magazine published by the ABFG - this may help! If you are not a member then have a look a Bioimages website has there are quite a few spore shots on there. Usually I type intto Google something like - 'Crepidotus (or apt species name) and Bioimages' and just se what comes up. Great for making comparisons.

Fungalpunk Dave

[diggleken]

Great advice Dave, thanks for that help.
Yes of course, never thought (one of my problems ) - start with what you know and build up.............
I do use bioimages quite a lot, usually the macro stuff, but thanks again, yep, spores in there - a lot to find out about.
Ta
Ken

[SheffieldLass]

Originally Posted by diggleken

Thanks Andreas, thought as much! Starter one coming for birthday soon.
Is there any easy/beginner guidance on spore ID anyone?
Cheers
Ken

tip .. what you will spot first are big round black blobs, and they are not spores but air bubbles .

And I second Fungalpunk Dave's advice on using Bioimages. I found it invaluable when I started using my microscope for fungi as it has photos of lots of the other microscopic features too, cystidia etc. So it is a very good turorial, lets you know what you should be looking for. I use it a lot still, great for comparison purposes.

Also check your local library to see if it has Roy Watling's book. As my books have not been unpacked yet I can't give you the title, but others will know ... the orange book with the faded spine ..... It was written for students of fungi.

Melanie

[diggleken]

Thanks Melanie, more great advice!
Again, never thought of the local library - and they will often get in books for you................
Cheers
Ken