Looks like a black tongue!

[puffball1]

Hello,This is my first post.Whilst looking at a very small white petticoat? fungi beside was this jet black fungi about 2 cm high and like a tongue on a stalk and in mown grass and moss.I have a pic. but not sure how to do this yet.Anyone know what this fascinating thing might be?
Thanks. pb1

[healfdan]

Welcome
Most likely it's a Geoglossum sp. Check out Geoglossum cookeianum.

[fairplay]

Hello Pb 1 and welcome to WAB.

Your fungus could be several things:

a) An Earth tongue (and there are at least 3 different black forms)
b) Dead Man's/Moll's Fingers (but this would be arising from dead wood buried under your lawn/grass area.

Neil.

[Chris Yeates]

Originally Posted by healfdan

Welcome
Most likely it's a Geoglossum sp. Check out Geoglossum cookeianum.

Originally Posted by fairplay

Hello Pb 1 and welcome to WAB.

Your fungus could be several things:

a) An Earth tongue (and there are at least 3 different black forms)
b) Dead Man's/Moll's Fingers (but this would be arising from dead wood buried under your lawn/grass area.

Neil.

There are far more than three black earth-tongues and they can only be identified by microscopy, and even then can prove confusing . . . . often two or more species can grow together which adds to the confusion

Chris

[fairplay]

I originally wrote 4 Chris but went back to 3 because one was technically brown not black. I can't win

Neil.

[puffball1]

Thankyou all for your welcomes and the information.I found it by accident whilst looking at something else, it does look like Geoglossom Cookeianum.pb1.

[fairplay]

Originally Posted by puffball1

Thankyou all for your welcomes and the information.I found it by accident whilst looking at something else, it does look like Geoglossom Cookeianum.pb1.

Have you Googled the other black species of Geoglossom ?

Neil.

[SheffieldLass]

I've been told that Paul Cannon is sequencing Geoglossum at the moment, so would welcome any that are found.

I found Geoglossum fallax last year. I think that is the most common one.

And this is the list of Geoglossum in Britain. I think about 11 are black, but two of them are viscid.

Species list - British Fungi

And here is a good and key into to them:
http://fungus.org.uk/nwfg/earth-tongues.htm

Melanie

[Chris Yeates]

Originally Posted by puffball1

Thankyou all for your welcomes and the information.I found it by accident whilst looking at something else, it does look like Geoglossom Cookeianum.pb1.

I'm sorry but without a microscope you will not be able to name a Geoglossum satisfactorily - the fact that it "looks like" an image somewhere on the web is neither here nor there unless that image shows the spores and (particularly) the apex of the paraphyses and you have compared your collection to those images

Originally Posted by SheffieldLass

. . . . I found Geoglossum fallax last year. I think that is the most common one. . . . Melanie

that is my experience too . . .

Chris

[puffball1]

Thankyou everyone for taking the time to reply.I realise now it should go under a microscope for a positive i.d.but far as i can see there are no others nearby and i do not feel i should uproot it.I will post a photo though when i can sort out how(computer klutz!)pb1.