Odd Jellybaby - Leotia lubrica?

[Lancashire Lad]

Found these a couple of weeks ago and thought that they must just be unusual Leotia lubrica.

I haven't been able to find photos of identical dark green capped L.lubrica, but have discovered that there are two Leotia species with green caps. (L.viscosa, and L.atrovirens).

According to what I've found out. L.atrovirens is scarcely recorded in Britain, and L.viscosa doesn't seem to have been recorded here at all.

All suggesting that these are just standard L.lubrica - but if that is the case, just how "unusual" are these?

Has anyone else found similar looking ones?, and can anyone advise whether these will definitely be within the range of variation to be expected?

I must have seen several thousand L.lubrica (at many different locations), but had never (before finding these) seen anything remotely similar.



Regards,
Mike.

[Ditiola]

Very interesting

Their is a similar looking fungus Sarcoleotia globosa, but unless it has a synonym it has not been recorded in the UK

Here is a photo from the internet:





Peter

[Ditiola]

Sarcoleotia globosa
SPOROCARP up to 25 mm tall with stem, the head 1.5-3.5 mm tall and 1.5-8 mm across, somewhat spherical, larger specimens somewhat flattened or depressed at center of disc, the margin of the spore-bearing area at first curved down and in and touching the stem, when old expanding to leave a gap between the stem and the margin, so that it can be hemispheric, spore-bearing upper surface deep brown to black, the underside grayish brown, stem 3-23 mm x 0.5-2 mm, round in cross-section to flattened with a longitudinal depression on one or two sides, dark grayish brown or light brown, with a paler base, bald or with fine scales. FRUITING gregarious or occasionally single, usually in disturbed habitats or in open plant communities, typically with moss, August and September. MICROSTRUCTURES ascospores (18)20-34(36) x 3-5 um, clavate, slightly curved or straight, smooth, colorless, with 0-1(3) septa, paraphyses about 2 um wide, the tips slightly enlarged to 3-3.5 um, curved or hooked, with colorless or light brown walls.

[Lancashire Lad]

Thanks for this detailed information Peter. Unfortunately I don't currently have access to a microscope (or indeed the fruitbodies - as I left them in situ after taking the photo - which was almost three weeks ago).

Looking at your suggestion, and obviously just going on macro characteristics, overall size is about right, and they were in moss below Beech, but I don't really think mine were the same - as mine had a dark olive green cap surface, (rather than deep brown/black, and the stipes were substantially thicker,comparitively speaking, than those on any photo I've yet found of S.globosa.

In physical looks, I'd say that Leotia viscosa are the closest match to what I found, but L.viscosa hasn't been recorded in Britain, so I think that unless I just happened to stumble upon the first ever specimen found in Britain, (highly unlikely I think), mine were probably something much more mundane.

I've been back to the site recently. There are lots of normal L.lubrica elsewhere in the wood, but nothing at all at the spot where I found these.

Regards,
Mike.

[Ditiola]

Mike
It probably was an off-colour Leotia lubrica, but unless starange forms are checked out we will never know when we do find a rarer but similar species to a common one.

This rain should make the fungi grow

Peter