Which Leccinum?

[SheffieldLass]

There were two of these, in heathy habitat under birch and spruce - not sure if it is predominantly dry or wettish there, probably middling . Certainly not bog though.



The fungus flushed blackish straightaway in the very middle of the stipe, and turquoise at the base, pinkish elsewhere on the stipe. Pores bruise brownish. The stipe floccules seemed to darken a bit with handling from paleish grey to darker grey, and the stem browning a bit.


Spores quite large (15.3) 16.8-20.2 (22.3) x (4.9) 5.1-5.9 (6.3)um Qav 3.4



Pileipellis

Caulocystidia

As the Leccinum genus has had a recent major upheaval I seem to be struggling with this. Have used Funga Nordica and Noordeloos' Leccinum website.

The blue-green flush rules out L scabrum, and things like no encrusting pigment in the cap, plus the way the flesh stains seems to rule out L versipelle, and the cap colour isn't typical. The closest appears to be Leccinum schistophilum (L palustre), though the spores are a bit too long and slender.
But then L. cyaneobasileucum (L. brunneogriseolum) spore sizes fit, as does the blue-green staining at the stem base, but apparently the stem flesh elsewhere is unchanging, but this went pinkish ....
I'm sure the caulocystidia and pileipellis cells should be able to determine which this is, but I can't find suitable pics of the latter two to compare.

Help needed!

Thanks
Melanie

[SheffieldLass]

I've checked the ratio (length to width) of the pileipellis cells (I did 55 of them so a representative sample), and the average is 5.7, and they were pretty much linked up too, not breaking into idividual cells. Which according to Kibby means that they are not classified as cylindrocysts. Using his morpholigal key it comes out clearly as Leccinum palustre.

If that is so, then it appears to be the first for Yorkshire.

I've just checked my voucher material, which has been drying, only to find that it has a thick cream coloured fungal infection on it I suppose it could be seen as two for the price of one .....

Infection spores

Melanie

[flaxton]

Melanie
A key I have says L cyaneobasileucum in young specimens turns pale reddish especially towards the top of the stipe and bluish green towards the base. So I think this is, as you originally said, the most likely candidate.

Mal

[SheffieldLass]

Originally Posted by flaxton

Melanie
A key I have says L cyaneobasileucum in young specimens turns pale reddish especially towards the top of the stipe and bluish green towards the base. So I think this is, as you originally said, the most likely candidate.

Mal

Though L cyaneobasileucum has the shorter cells in the pileipellis, ratio averaging between 3-4, which would appear to rule it out.

Kibby has them both flushing pinkish.

I went back today to see if the other of the pair had escaped the infection. It hadn't, but there was a new one through. So I did a swop and brought that one home. That behaved as the first when cut, though without the streak of black in the centre, it had the bright turquoise in the base, and flushed slightly pink. Pileipellis cells ratio averaged 5.6, (the first was 5.7, so very consistent) but the spores on this were shorter (13.4) 15.2-18.2 (19.8) x (4.8) 5.1-5.8 (6.3)um Qav 3.1

Young stipe, brownish flocks. (It also had the spores of the infection, so I'm trying to dry it quicker than the spread of the infection.)



Just been rechecking Noordeloos' key and details. Caulocystidia seem to be rather similar for both, so that is no use ... I think spore size is probably the least reliable, they seem so variable in just one specimen, and I've had L scabrum with very small ones, well below the lower figure. But shape of caulo and length of pileipellis cells are probably more reliable.

I'm now beginning to realise that Leccinum aren't that straightforward .....

Melanie

P.S. Also double checked the habitat. Lots of moss but not Sphagnum or Polytrichum, but one was growing in the middle of soft rush, so it is normally on the damp side. Flora there suggests acidic but it is a bit of a funny 'acidic' round here ... calcareous sandstone, so that might be the equivalent of sandy alkaline that it is supposed to prefer .

[flaxton]

Melanie
I know that Alan Hills always puts more emphasis on the Q value rather than the spore size alone.

Mal

[Chris Yeates]

hi Melanie

just got his list for the weekend, and Tom H. has recorded L. palustre from our weekend foray! - more about it on that thread later

best

Chris

[SheffieldLass]

Originally Posted by Chris Yeates

hi Melanie

just got his list for the weekend, and Tom H. has recorded L. palustre from our weekend foray! - more about it on that thread later

best

Chris

That was the one by the path on Sunday, just after the group of L versipelle? When I saw that one I thought Leccinum schistophilum (L palustre) or L. cyaneobasileucum (L. brunneogriseolum). Just trying to think where it was that we saw something that looked like L variicolor - it might have been on Saturday when you were with the group on the other side of the wood.

I've still got to suss out a Lecccinum that I found the day before the foray. White stipe, whitish scabers, and rather pale cap, stem bruising brownish when handled. No blueing or colouring of the flesh. I did get the microscopic details but didn't have the time to check it out properly. These can get rather difficult as there can be albino or very pale forms of some of the darker ones, which I think this could be. I don't think it is L holopus, as the scabers were wrong microscopically - they were clavate. It fits L rotundifoliae best, except though N Yorkshire can get cold it isn't exactly tundra or alpine. FeSO4 would apparently decide on L rotundifoliae, though I don't have any ... So maybe it is an albino L scabrum, though it was not brutish like L scabrum often is.

In my rush I'd left it on my desk - luckily when I'd got back it hadn't turned into a pile of mush wriggling with maggots, and had only made a very small mark on the oak . BTW, don't leave any Boletes on a wooden surface to dry, even on paper ... I've had them stain pine floorboards quite badly and the stain won't come out ....

Melanie