- Email: [email protected]
3rd International Russulales Conference November 2016, Piombino, Italy
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3rd International Russulales Conference November 2016, Piombino, Italy "! # @#2#F!"#G"! @
I
n 2012 the first International Russulales Workshop was held in Nordhausen, Germany, to be followed by the second in 2014 in Kostolany, Slovakia. The third has now been held in November 2016 in Piombino in the beautiful hills of Tuscany, Italy. Piombino is in the province of Livorno and lies on the border between the Ligurian Sea and the Tyrrhenian Sea, opposite Elba Island and is surrounded by wonderful woodlands as well as having extensive sand dunes on its coast. Over 40 experts and enthusiasts came from all over Europe, including Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Slovakia, plus four of us from England: GK & MT along with Steve and Margaret Kelly. We were there to collect and study members of the order Russulales, which includes the familiar genera Russula and Lactarius but also the perhaps less familiar Lactifluus. In addition there are also various resupinate and hypogeous genera, e.g. Auriscalpium, Stereum, Artomyces etc, which are now included in this large order. The workshop started on the evening of Monday 7th Nov. and concluded on the evening of Friday 11th. Each morning the group would split into three and would travel to a variety of different foray sites, all within an hour’s drive or usually much less. For many of the delegates including our British contingent this was an opportunity to see species both familiar and exotic, in particular those typical of the warmer, Mediterranean climes. Much of the area is calcareous in nature and the predominant tree species are oaks, especially Quercus ilex, Q. suber, Q. cerris and Q. robur along with Pinus species such as P. pinea, P. pinaster and P. halepensis, plus other tree genera such as Carpinus, Ostrya and Fraxinus. Also important however, throughout the Mediterranean, is the presence of shrubs of the genus Cistus, which are important mycorrhizal associates for many Russula and Lactarius species.
Of particular interest to us were species which are so ubiquitous in Britain but seemed to be absent or rare in this part of Italy. For example we did not see a single specimen of Russula ochroleuca, probably our commonest species, while the very uncommon (for us) R. persicina was abundant in every forest we visited. Particularly exciting were those species which are unlikely to be found in Britain, except perhaps under introduced exotic oaks, and we were lucky enough to see several of these. Lactarius atlanticus is a species which has been reported from England but has always proved to be incorrectly identified so it was good to be able to examine the real thing. It was abundant under Quercus ilex in most of the woodlands and was striking for its vivid redbrown colours (Fig. 1) and odour of bugs. Microscopically it is distinguished by its cap cuticle being composed of a layer of swollen, saclike cells. Its closest relatives in this country are L. camphoratus, L. serifluus and L. rostratus, all with a strong smell (section Olentes). Lactarius acerrimus is an uncommon species in Britain but it was probably the commonest species of Lactarius that we saw during the week (Fig. 2). The zonate cap, stem with scrobiculi (pits) and the oddly anastomosing gills where they meet the stem are all good field characters. It has a very pleasant fruity smell while its white latex is very acrid to taste. Microscopically it is easily distinguished by its 2-spored basidia producing very large, reticulate spores 10.5–14 x 8.5–11 µm. Lactarius luridus is found in Scotland but is rare and only recorded from a couple of sites. In this region of Italy it was abundant in the wet woodlands (Fig. 3). The violet-staining latex was striking, the change in colour occurring in about three minutes. Also recorded but more rarely was the closely related L. violascens which was larger,
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doi:10.1016/j.fldmyc.2017.01.005
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darker, with more prominently zonate cap and even more intensely violet-staining latex. Conversely its flesh did not stain as dark as that of L. luridus. Commoner in Britain is L. uvidus which has a thicker slime layer on the cap and spores less reticulate with lower, rounder warts.
examination has always proved the collections to belong to some other species. Russula prinophila, also described by Sarnari, is a remarkable species both for its large, globose and well ornamented spores and for the unusual cross-veining visible in the gills, forming chambers (Fig. 5 and inset). Its cap colour is very variable, from vinaceous red to almost white, often curiously mottled or with a much darker centre as seen in this collection. Its spore deposit is very dark, about IVb on the Romagnesi scale (1967), R in Kibby (2016). The pileocystidia are slender, clavate and 0–1 septate and the cuticular hyphae are slender and pointed. Its taste is mild. It is found, once again, under Quercus ilex and prefers calcareous soils.
The genus Russula is well represented in these warm oak forests and includes several very striking species which have yet to be discovered in Britain, as well as others known but rather rare. Russula galochroides is a milk-white to greyish white or even slightly greenish species, usually with yellow or rust-coloured spots and associated with oaks. We were lucky enough to see the collection illustrated (Fig. 4), which was found in the Parco Naturale di Montioni, about 30 km away from the town of Piombino, growing with Q. ilex. The species was described in 1988 by the Russula specialist Mauro Sarnari who distinguished it from the equally pale and much earlier described R. galochroa of Fries (see Sarnari, 1998). In R. galochroides the spores have numerous short connectives between the warts and the cells of the cap cuticle hyphae are rather narrow, while in R. galochroa the warts are completely isolated and the cap hyphae are composed of very broad, rather short elements. R. galochroa has been reported a few times from Britain but
Russula pseudoaeruginea has been recorded from Britain but so far with just three collections (Fig. 6). Originally described as a variety of the common R. aeruginea, its microscopy is so different that it is now placed in a completely different subsection of Russula. It may be that it is more frequent than the records suggest but overlooked. In Italy it is a common species associated with Quercus. Its cuticular hyphae consist of short, swollen elements in chains, subtended by a long pointed element. This is in stark contrast to the cuticle of
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L"# #J M R. aeruginea which has very long, filamentous hyphae.
very dark, IVc in Romagnesi(1967), R in Kibby (2016). Of course, in any conference where a particular group of fungi are targeted one cannot guarantee that specimens will be found, so other fungi are gathered as well. This was certainly the case on this occasion; the forests we visited were bursting with fungi of many different sorts. Hygrophorus species were greatly in evidence, in particular a fasciculate and strongly viscid species, H. roseodiscus with a pinkish brown cap, darker at the centre and sticky white stem (see front cover). It is associated with Quercus and very characteristic of Mediterranean woodlands.
Russula rutila is almost as rare in Britain as the previous species, with just 11 records (after removing duplications) in the FRDBI. It is one of a small group of species whose pileocystidia have encrustations that are resistant to, and stain in, acid fuchsin, a feature usually found only in subgenus Incrustatula, whose species lack pileocystidia and have fuchsinophile hyphae. The striking red cap often becomes paler ochraceous at the centre as seen here (Fig. 7). The spores are large with prominent warts and the spore deposit
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Cortinarius species were also prolific, especially the large and exotically coloured species of subgenus Phlegmacium. One of these was C. aleuriosmus (see back cover), a snowwhite species some 15 cm across, with a prominently bulbous stem. Its outstanding feature is the strong mealy smell and taste; common in other fungal groups but almost unknown in Cortinarius. It was a species known to us only in
the literature and which we had long wished to find. It is wrongly recorded as British in CBIB under the mistaken belief that the similar species C. caroviolaceus of Orton, (Fig. 8) described from Britain, was a synonym. Both were present here, C. aleuriosmus being abundant in the oak woods of the Parco di Montioni, often in fasciculate groups of shining white fruitbodies. C. caroviolaceus was found in almost all the woods that we
5(
L"# #J M visited, The very slimy, ochraceous caps rarely exceeded 8 cm and had a musty odour. We would encourage other British mycologists to attend this and similar congresses (for example there is an annual Cortinarius congress in a different European country every year). You do not have to be an expert. It is a chance to see fungi unknown or rare in Britain, usually in beautiful woodlands under trees which are often exotics in this country. But more than that is the chance to converse and discuss one’s finds with mycologists from all over Europe, many of them the authors of textbooks which we all use. This exchange of ideas, languages, experiences and expertise is invaluable. Add to this the general bonhomie, good food and wine and wonderful scenery and these meetings become events to treasure. The cost was very reasonable as such meetings go: €250 for the week including all meals (and free wine!), not including flights. As future meetings are planned we will give notice of them in Field Mycology and look forward to seeing more of you attending!
References Kibby, G. (2016). The genus Russula in Great Britain. Privately published. Available from the author: [email protected]. Romagnesi, H. (1967). Les Russules d’Europe et d’Afrique du Nord. Paris. Sarnari, M. (1998). Monografia illustrata del Genere Russula in Europa Vol. 1. AMB. Trento, Italy.
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5
3rd International Russulales Conference November 2016, Piombino, Italy "! # @#2#F!"#G"! @
I
n 2012 the first International Russulales Workshop was held in Nordhausen, Germany, to be followed by the second in 2014 in Kostolany, Slovakia. The third has now been held in November 2016 in Piombino in the beautiful hills of Tuscany, Italy. Piombino is in the province of Livorno and lies on the border between the Ligurian Sea and the Tyrrhenian Sea, opposite Elba Island and is surrounded by wonderful woodlands as well as having extensive sand dunes on its coast. Over 40 experts and enthusiasts came from all over Europe, including Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Slovakia, plus four of us from England: GK & MT along with Steve and Margaret Kelly. We were there to collect and study members of the order Russulales, which includes the familiar genera Russula and Lactarius but also the perhaps less familiar Lactifluus. In addition there are also various resupinate and hypogeous genera, e.g. Auriscalpium, Stereum, Artomyces etc, which are now included in this large order. The workshop started on the evening of Monday 7th Nov. and concluded on the evening of Friday 11th. Each morning the group would split into three and would travel to a variety of different foray sites, all within an hour’s drive or usually much less. For many of the delegates including our British contingent this was an opportunity to see species both familiar and exotic, in particular those typical of the warmer, Mediterranean climes. Much of the area is calcareous in nature and the predominant tree species are oaks, especially Quercus ilex, Q. suber, Q. cerris and Q. robur along with Pinus species such as P. pinea, P. pinaster and P. halepensis, plus other tree genera such as Carpinus, Ostrya and Fraxinus. Also important however, throughout the Mediterranean, is the presence of shrubs of the genus Cistus, which are important mycorrhizal associates for many Russula and Lactarius species.
Of particular interest to us were species which are so ubiquitous in Britain but seemed to be absent or rare in this part of Italy. For example we did not see a single specimen of Russula ochroleuca, probably our commonest species, while the very uncommon (for us) R. persicina was abundant in every forest we visited. Particularly exciting were those species which are unlikely to be found in Britain, except perhaps under introduced exotic oaks, and we were lucky enough to see several of these. Lactarius atlanticus is a species which has been reported from England but has always proved to be incorrectly identified so it was good to be able to examine the real thing. It was abundant under Quercus ilex in most of the woodlands and was striking for its vivid redbrown colours (Fig. 1) and odour of bugs. Microscopically it is distinguished by its cap cuticle being composed of a layer of swollen, saclike cells. Its closest relatives in this country are L. camphoratus, L. serifluus and L. rostratus, all with a strong smell (section Olentes). Lactarius acerrimus is an uncommon species in Britain but it was probably the commonest species of Lactarius that we saw during the week (Fig. 2). The zonate cap, stem with scrobiculi (pits) and the oddly anastomosing gills where they meet the stem are all good field characters. It has a very pleasant fruity smell while its white latex is very acrid to taste. Microscopically it is easily distinguished by its 2-spored basidia producing very large, reticulate spores 10.5–14 x 8.5–11 µm. Lactarius luridus is found in Scotland but is rare and only recorded from a couple of sites. In this region of Italy it was abundant in the wet woodlands (Fig. 3). The violet-staining latex was striking, the change in colour occurring in about three minutes. Also recorded but more rarely was the closely related L. violascens which was larger,
@5 "!#! NN
doi:10.1016/j.fldmyc.2017.01.005
5$
L"# #J M
# # * (* *( *)( !# # "# "! N # " " # # # "# # " "! # F!"#G"!
darker, with more prominently zonate cap and even more intensely violet-staining latex. Conversely its flesh did not stain as dark as that of L. luridus. Commoner in Britain is L. uvidus which has a thicker slime layer on the cap and spores less reticulate with lower, rounder warts.
examination has always proved the collections to belong to some other species. Russula prinophila, also described by Sarnari, is a remarkable species both for its large, globose and well ornamented spores and for the unusual cross-veining visible in the gills, forming chambers (Fig. 5 and inset). Its cap colour is very variable, from vinaceous red to almost white, often curiously mottled or with a much darker centre as seen in this collection. Its spore deposit is very dark, about IVb on the Romagnesi scale (1967), R in Kibby (2016). The pileocystidia are slender, clavate and 0–1 septate and the cuticular hyphae are slender and pointed. Its taste is mild. It is found, once again, under Quercus ilex and prefers calcareous soils.
The genus Russula is well represented in these warm oak forests and includes several very striking species which have yet to be discovered in Britain, as well as others known but rather rare. Russula galochroides is a milk-white to greyish white or even slightly greenish species, usually with yellow or rust-coloured spots and associated with oaks. We were lucky enough to see the collection illustrated (Fig. 4), which was found in the Parco Naturale di Montioni, about 30 km away from the town of Piombino, growing with Q. ilex. The species was described in 1988 by the Russula specialist Mauro Sarnari who distinguished it from the equally pale and much earlier described R. galochroa of Fries (see Sarnari, 1998). In R. galochroides the spores have numerous short connectives between the warts and the cells of the cap cuticle hyphae are rather narrow, while in R. galochroa the warts are completely isolated and the cap hyphae are composed of very broad, rather short elements. R. galochroa has been reported a few times from Britain but
Russula pseudoaeruginea has been recorded from Britain but so far with just three collections (Fig. 6). Originally described as a variety of the common R. aeruginea, its microscopy is so different that it is now placed in a completely different subsection of Russula. It may be that it is more frequent than the records suggest but overlooked. In Italy it is a common species associated with Quercus. Its cuticular hyphae consist of short, swollen elements in chains, subtended by a long pointed element. This is in stark contrast to the cuticle of
5)
L"# #J M
# # * (* * $ !# ' # #"#"! N #" " # ##"# #G N #N"KN# #N ""N #N "! #N#K ! # #1"# #N #" "! ## "! #
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L"# #J M R. aeruginea which has very long, filamentous hyphae.
very dark, IVc in Romagnesi(1967), R in Kibby (2016). Of course, in any conference where a particular group of fungi are targeted one cannot guarantee that specimens will be found, so other fungi are gathered as well. This was certainly the case on this occasion; the forests we visited were bursting with fungi of many different sorts. Hygrophorus species were greatly in evidence, in particular a fasciculate and strongly viscid species, H. roseodiscus with a pinkish brown cap, darker at the centre and sticky white stem (see front cover). It is associated with Quercus and very characteristic of Mediterranean woodlands.
Russula rutila is almost as rare in Britain as the previous species, with just 11 records (after removing duplications) in the FRDBI. It is one of a small group of species whose pileocystidia have encrustations that are resistant to, and stain in, acid fuchsin, a feature usually found only in subgenus Incrustatula, whose species lack pileocystidia and have fuchsinophile hyphae. The striking red cap often becomes paler ochraceous at the centre as seen here (Fig. 7). The spores are large with prominent warts and the spore deposit
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#;#! * ) * !# #"#"! N #" " # ##"# #G #N #N"KN# 4 !"! # " #"# #!"NN8 N## #N#J"!#" 4# "M#" "! ##F!"#G"!
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Cortinarius species were also prolific, especially the large and exotically coloured species of subgenus Phlegmacium. One of these was C. aleuriosmus (see back cover), a snowwhite species some 15 cm across, with a prominently bulbous stem. Its outstanding feature is the strong mealy smell and taste; common in other fungal groups but almost unknown in Cortinarius. It was a species known to us only in
the literature and which we had long wished to find. It is wrongly recorded as British in CBIB under the mistaken belief that the similar species C. caroviolaceus of Orton, (Fig. 8) described from Britain, was a synonym. Both were present here, C. aleuriosmus being abundant in the oak woods of the Parco di Montioni, often in fasciculate groups of shining white fruitbodies. C. caroviolaceus was found in almost all the woods that we
5(
L"# #J M visited, The very slimy, ochraceous caps rarely exceeded 8 cm and had a musty odour. We would encourage other British mycologists to attend this and similar congresses (for example there is an annual Cortinarius congress in a different European country every year). You do not have to be an expert. It is a chance to see fungi unknown or rare in Britain, usually in beautiful woodlands under trees which are often exotics in this country. But more than that is the chance to converse and discuss one’s finds with mycologists from all over Europe, many of them the authors of textbooks which we all use. This exchange of ideas, languages, experiences and expertise is invaluable. Add to this the general bonhomie, good food and wine and wonderful scenery and these meetings become events to treasure. The cost was very reasonable as such meetings go: €250 for the week including all meals (and free wine!), not including flights. As future meetings are planned we will give notice of them in Field Mycology and look forward to seeing more of you attending!
References Kibby, G. (2016). The genus Russula in Great Britain. Privately published. Available from the author: [email protected]. Romagnesi, H. (1967). Les Russules d’Europe et d’Afrique du Nord. Paris. Sarnari, M. (1998). Monografia illustrata del Genere Russula in Europa Vol. 1. AMB. Trento, Italy.
##&( )* * * #""## #K""N#"# N# ! #"# #KN# N! #!"#I!! #J"! ! !DM# # !#"!! #N " N #K #&' * $ #K#N#D"K##A! #" "## "! #
5