Quote:
Originally Posted by NickCantle  Have you been conducting studies on Leccinum over the past few weeks Melanie? You're all of a sudden extremely cautious with them  |
Yep, there are masses and masses of them growing locally, very very very very variable in appearance, quite a few types. So it is a very good opportunity to try to get a better handle on them ... According to my neighbour who has walked the woods daily for 25 years it has not been as good as this for over 25 years for them and other fungi, so I thought I'd better make the most of the opportunity
. I've been checking them microscopically to try to get a feel to them that way too, I've looked at maybe 20-30 already and it ain't easy. There is a whole issue of the lengths to breadth ratio of the cells in the cap, and even there they seem to be talking about quite small differences in them. And ones that are meant to bruise certain colours don't always do so
, so even that isn't reliable
.... And the key of Noordeloos is also confused, which doesn't help either ... it divides them into without distinct cylindrocysts/with distinct cylindrocysts at point 9, only to then get them muddled up on the very next step at point 10. Then at point 12, second option it says caulocystidia not clavate, only to go onto
L rotundifolieae which does have clavate caulocystidia when you read the details ....
. Also some seem to have caulocystidia with the full range of possible shapes, which makes it even more difficult .... Unfortunately I've not come across picture representations of the caulocystidia for each group, or even typical sizes, which might make it a bit clearer.
I use that key in conjunction with Kibby's key. And I'm hoping that when I've finally looked at a big collection of fungi and their photos at macroscale, microscale and colour changes that it might in the end fall into place ... maybe ....
Trouble is, they all grow in pretty much the same habitat ..
L variicolor might be just a few yards away from
L scabrum, with
L versipelle a few yards further on, and then some pale, more delicate ones, blue staining in between. So I can't make any assumptions that the ones that I saw in one place one day are the same species the next week ...
Straightforward
L scabrum with dark scabers, typical cap, typical size, none or only some reddish staining, and then microscopically with large clavate caulocystidia is ok. And typical
L variicolor with its variegated cap and strongly blue staining stem is also straightforward. I'm trying to use them as markers against which I can compare others. I can check their Q values, see just how consistent they are, to try to see how reliable that really is. Because that is another thing by which the keys separate out Leccinum. I find many Leccinum species with Q values averaging at 2.9 - keys have them <3 or >3, so actually a bit too close for comfort (for me). And I aim to check a minimum of 20 spores at a time too. Spore size is so variable that I find that no use what-so-ever, but Q values if they really are sufficiently consistent, may be of use.
I ought to be doing this systematically, but didn't realise when I started looking at them just how difficult they actually are.
Melanie
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