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ENTOLOMA RUBELLUMfirst British record
Vol 12 (4)
ENTOLOMA RUBELLUM first British record David Harries* Entoloma rubellum (Scop.) Gillet
photographs, and decided to check the location daily.
Last autumn, a mid-morning stroll across my favourite waxcap-grassland field rewarded me with a good show of two of the larger grassland Entoloma species: E. prunuloides and the UKBAP priority species E. bloxamii. Both appear regularly at this site, though rarely in the numbers observed in 2010. E. bloxamii was especially prolific with over 100 fruitbodies present on the north and west-facing slopes of a 3-hectare, neutral, semi-natural grassland field. The field forms part of a 20 hectare holding now in its 12th year of management under the all-Wales agri-environment scheme (Tir Gofal) which is due to finish at the end of 2013. The field is grazed by Dexter cattle, and no fertilizers have been applied for at least 40 years (Fig. 4). My attention was drawn to a conspicuously different collection of fruiting bodies. These were pale pink, reminiscent of Hygrocybe calyptriformis, but of a distinctly different shape: rounded rather than sharply conical. The fruiting bodies were clearly not mature, so I took some
Description Pileus: as the fruiting bodies developed the convex caps developed radial splits and became plano-convex with an umbo. The cap was translucently striate at the margin when fresh, and gradually aged to a pink-ochraceous colour. The overall cap diameter of three specimens measured 45-70 mm. Stipe white with yellowish tints at the base, fibrillose, cylindrical, broadening slightly towards the base. 55-70 x 7-12 mm. Lamellae initally white, later pale pink, narrowly adnate/emarginate with a fertile gill edge and lacking cheilocystidia. Spores 5-6 sided, uniformly isodiametric, 6.0-7.5 µm, Q: 1.0-1.1. Unlike many Entoloma species, this one helpfully keyed out rather quickly as Entoloma rubellum. By this time slugs were starting to make inroads so the samples were collected on 3rd October and dried as voucher specimens. A fortnight later two
Fig. 1. Entoloma rubellum looking superficially like the Pink Waxcap Hygrocybe calyptriformis. Somerton Farm, Pembrokeshire, October 2010. Photograph © David Harries. * Somerton Cottage, Hundleton, Pembroke, Pembrokeshire. SA71 5RX
doi:10.1016/j.fldmyc.2011.09.003
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Vol 12 (4)
Fig. 2. E. rubellum showing the tendency for the pileus to split radially and the faint pink flush on the stipe. Photograph © David Harries.
more specimens appeared within a metre of the original location and lasted until heavy frosts in mid-October. Details were sent to Dr. Machiel Noordeloos who confirmed the identification and requested samples of both E. bloxamii and E. rubellum for DNA sequencing. He commented that preliminary studies had suggested a similarity between E. rubellum and some examples of E. bloxamii. Further samples were deposited with Kew as K(M)166975 and in 2011 E. rubellum was added to the Checklist of British and Irish Basidiomycota as a British species.
Fig. 3. Spores of E. rubellum showing their 6-sided isodiametric form. Photograph © David Harries.
References Noordeloos, M.E. (1992). Entoloma s.l. Fungi Europaei Vol. 5. Saronno. Noordeloos, M.E. (2004). Entoloma s.l. Fungi Europaei Vol. 5a. Edizioni Candusso.
Fig. 4. Below: Somerton Farm, Pembrokeshire, showing the habitat for Entoloma rubellum, grazed by Dexter cattle. The field has had no fertilisers for over 40 years. Photograph © David Harries.
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ENTOLOMA RUBELLUM first British record David Harries* Entoloma rubellum (Scop.) Gillet
photographs, and decided to check the location daily.
Last autumn, a mid-morning stroll across my favourite waxcap-grassland field rewarded me with a good show of two of the larger grassland Entoloma species: E. prunuloides and the UKBAP priority species E. bloxamii. Both appear regularly at this site, though rarely in the numbers observed in 2010. E. bloxamii was especially prolific with over 100 fruitbodies present on the north and west-facing slopes of a 3-hectare, neutral, semi-natural grassland field. The field forms part of a 20 hectare holding now in its 12th year of management under the all-Wales agri-environment scheme (Tir Gofal) which is due to finish at the end of 2013. The field is grazed by Dexter cattle, and no fertilizers have been applied for at least 40 years (Fig. 4). My attention was drawn to a conspicuously different collection of fruiting bodies. These were pale pink, reminiscent of Hygrocybe calyptriformis, but of a distinctly different shape: rounded rather than sharply conical. The fruiting bodies were clearly not mature, so I took some
Description Pileus: as the fruiting bodies developed the convex caps developed radial splits and became plano-convex with an umbo. The cap was translucently striate at the margin when fresh, and gradually aged to a pink-ochraceous colour. The overall cap diameter of three specimens measured 45-70 mm. Stipe white with yellowish tints at the base, fibrillose, cylindrical, broadening slightly towards the base. 55-70 x 7-12 mm. Lamellae initally white, later pale pink, narrowly adnate/emarginate with a fertile gill edge and lacking cheilocystidia. Spores 5-6 sided, uniformly isodiametric, 6.0-7.5 µm, Q: 1.0-1.1. Unlike many Entoloma species, this one helpfully keyed out rather quickly as Entoloma rubellum. By this time slugs were starting to make inroads so the samples were collected on 3rd October and dried as voucher specimens. A fortnight later two
Fig. 1. Entoloma rubellum looking superficially like the Pink Waxcap Hygrocybe calyptriformis. Somerton Farm, Pembrokeshire, October 2010. Photograph © David Harries. * Somerton Cottage, Hundleton, Pembroke, Pembrokeshire. SA71 5RX
doi:10.1016/j.fldmyc.2011.09.003
113
Vol 12 (4)
Fig. 2. E. rubellum showing the tendency for the pileus to split radially and the faint pink flush on the stipe. Photograph © David Harries.
more specimens appeared within a metre of the original location and lasted until heavy frosts in mid-October. Details were sent to Dr. Machiel Noordeloos who confirmed the identification and requested samples of both E. bloxamii and E. rubellum for DNA sequencing. He commented that preliminary studies had suggested a similarity between E. rubellum and some examples of E. bloxamii. Further samples were deposited with Kew as K(M)166975 and in 2011 E. rubellum was added to the Checklist of British and Irish Basidiomycota as a British species.
Fig. 3. Spores of E. rubellum showing their 6-sided isodiametric form. Photograph © David Harries.
References Noordeloos, M.E. (1992). Entoloma s.l. Fungi Europaei Vol. 5. Saronno. Noordeloos, M.E. (2004). Entoloma s.l. Fungi Europaei Vol. 5a. Edizioni Candusso.
Fig. 4. Below: Somerton Farm, Pembrokeshire, showing the habitat for Entoloma rubellum, grazed by Dexter cattle. The field has had no fertilisers for over 40 years. Photograph © David Harries.
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