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Fungal Portraits No. 69: Scleroderma meridionale First British Record
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Fungal Portraits No. 69: Scleroderma meridionale First British Record Geoffrey Kibby
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he genus Scleroderma in Britain has until recently been represented by just five species: S. areolatum, S. bovista, S. cepa, S. citrinum and S. verrucosum. A sixth species, S. polyrhizum has been reported in the past but specimens in the Kew fungarium have all proved to be just large specimens of S. verrucosum. The genus was dealt with in detail in a previous article (Storey, 2009) where a key to species and photos of the five British species and their microscopy were provided. It was with some excitement therefore that a collection was made by Mario Tortelli and GK of an unfamiliar Scleroderma on the coast at Minehead during the BMS autumn foray in Somerset in 2015 (Fig. 1). It was fruiting in some numbers under a large Pinus pinaster in very sandy soil. It was striking both for its large size (5–8 cm) and the almost smooth, pale yellow outer skin. On uprooting a specimen it was seen to possess a large, deeply rooting mycelial base.
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L"# #J M The earthballs were formed below the soil and then gradually burst forth above the surface. The outer skin or peridium tended to split to release the dark, blackish spore mass. The spores were examined and found to be globose, 8–15 µm across and entirely, and strikingly densely reticulate with thick ridges and warts up to 2 µm high and with many warts noticeably curved (Fig. 2). The only then known British species with reticulate spores was S. bovista, the Potato Earthball, a common species which forms rounded, potato-like fruitbodies with a dark ochre-brown peridium that breaks up into very fine adpressed scales. Its spores are 11–14.5 µm in diameter with a coarser, more open reticulum of ridges up to 2 µm high. It lacks the very large mycelial rooting base of S. meridionale and is found in broadleaved woodlands. The reticulum on the spores of S. meridionale is denser than found in S. bovista. S. meridionale was described from Portugal in 1970 (Demoulin & Malençon, 1970) and is widely distributed throughout the Mediterranean, usually in coastal areas although also recorded from inland, sandy sites. It has also been reported from North America (Kuo, 2004) where it is restricted to the more southerly states from Florida to Arizona. Further north it is replaced by the very similar S. septentrionale. In November of 2016 I was invited to visit the island of Jersey to study their fungi by Nick Aubin, Biodiversity Officer for the Jersey Biodiversity Office. One of the forays was to Les
Mielles Golf & Country Club on the west coast of the island. This large site has areas of extensive woodland as well as sand dunes and many sandy paths. There is a mix of trees with large areas of pines of various species and along one of the sandy paths we came across what was obviously the same species: S. meridionale. This was the first record for Jersey and the second for the British Isles. Because of Jersey’s Mediterranean climate and extensive areas of sandy soil with pines, S. meridionale is likely to be a common species there. In England it is probably a genuinely rare species although collections of Scleroderma from coastal sites under pines should be examined whenever found. Less likely to be found here (although quite possible in Jersey) is S. polyrhizum. As already mentioned, previous reports of this species in Britain have proved to be false but in the hope that it might be genuinely recorded a description and illustration is given here (Fig. 3). S. polyrhizum is very large (12–15 cm across) and starts buried in sandy soil before erupting and splitting to form recurved ‘arms’ rather like a Geastrum. When fully open it can reach nearly 30 cm across! The peridium is extremely thick, 5–10 mm. Its spores are globose, 6–11 µm across with very low warts to 0.5 µm high and forming only a partial reticulum.
References Demoulin V. & Malençon G. (1970). Un nouveau Scléroderma méditerranéo-sud-atlantique: Scleroderma meridionale Demoulin & Malençon, spec. nov.". Bull. Soc.Myc. France 86 (3): 699–704. Kuo, M. (2004, December). Scleroderma septentrionale. Retrieved from the MushroomExpert.Com Web site: http://www.mushroomexpert.com/ scleroderma_septentrionale.html Storey, M. (2009). Earthballs - British Scleroderma species. Field Mycology 10(4): 122–127.
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Fungal Portraits No. 69: Scleroderma meridionale First British Record Geoffrey Kibby
# #" $* $ )* ## K #! "! #N N#"!# #A! N#N N #N"K# #! # #NN# N# N #:N !#A #F #I" #I" !N #I # ## ;#" "## "! #
T
he genus Scleroderma in Britain has until recently been represented by just five species: S. areolatum, S. bovista, S. cepa, S. citrinum and S. verrucosum. A sixth species, S. polyrhizum has been reported in the past but specimens in the Kew fungarium have all proved to be just large specimens of S. verrucosum. The genus was dealt with in detail in a previous article (Storey, 2009) where a key to species and photos of the five British species and their microscopy were provided. It was with some excitement therefore that a collection was made by Mario Tortelli and GK of an unfamiliar Scleroderma on the coast at Minehead during the BMS autumn foray in Somerset in 2015 (Fig. 1). It was fruiting in some numbers under a large Pinus pinaster in very sandy soil. It was striking both for its large size (5–8 cm) and the almost smooth, pale yellow outer skin. On uprooting a specimen it was seen to possess a large, deeply rooting mycelial base.
# # C # N "! N# "# "' $ )* N"K !# #" #! #N N#" "## "! # doi:10.1016/j.fldmyc.2017.01.003
2
L"# #J M The earthballs were formed below the soil and then gradually burst forth above the surface. The outer skin or peridium tended to split to release the dark, blackish spore mass. The spores were examined and found to be globose, 8–15 µm across and entirely, and strikingly densely reticulate with thick ridges and warts up to 2 µm high and with many warts noticeably curved (Fig. 2). The only then known British species with reticulate spores was S. bovista, the Potato Earthball, a common species which forms rounded, potato-like fruitbodies with a dark ochre-brown peridium that breaks up into very fine adpressed scales. Its spores are 11–14.5 µm in diameter with a coarser, more open reticulum of ridges up to 2 µm high. It lacks the very large mycelial rooting base of S. meridionale and is found in broadleaved woodlands. The reticulum on the spores of S. meridionale is denser than found in S. bovista. S. meridionale was described from Portugal in 1970 (Demoulin & Malençon, 1970) and is widely distributed throughout the Mediterranean, usually in coastal areas although also recorded from inland, sandy sites. It has also been reported from North America (Kuo, 2004) where it is restricted to the more southerly states from Florida to Arizona. Further north it is replaced by the very similar S. septentrionale. In November of 2016 I was invited to visit the island of Jersey to study their fungi by Nick Aubin, Biodiversity Officer for the Jersey Biodiversity Office. One of the forays was to Les
Mielles Golf & Country Club on the west coast of the island. This large site has areas of extensive woodland as well as sand dunes and many sandy paths. There is a mix of trees with large areas of pines of various species and along one of the sandy paths we came across what was obviously the same species: S. meridionale. This was the first record for Jersey and the second for the British Isles. Because of Jersey’s Mediterranean climate and extensive areas of sandy soil with pines, S. meridionale is likely to be a common species there. In England it is probably a genuinely rare species although collections of Scleroderma from coastal sites under pines should be examined whenever found. Less likely to be found here (although quite possible in Jersey) is S. polyrhizum. As already mentioned, previous reports of this species in Britain have proved to be false but in the hope that it might be genuinely recorded a description and illustration is given here (Fig. 3). S. polyrhizum is very large (12–15 cm across) and starts buried in sandy soil before erupting and splitting to form recurved ‘arms’ rather like a Geastrum. When fully open it can reach nearly 30 cm across! The peridium is extremely thick, 5–10 mm. Its spores are globose, 6–11 µm across with very low warts to 0.5 µm high and forming only a partial reticulum.
References Demoulin V. & Malençon G. (1970). Un nouveau Scléroderma méditerranéo-sud-atlantique: Scleroderma meridionale Demoulin & Malençon, spec. nov.". Bull. Soc.Myc. France 86 (3): 699–704. Kuo, M. (2004, December). Scleroderma septentrionale. Retrieved from the MushroomExpert.Com Web site: http://www.mushroomexpert.com/ scleroderma_septentrionale.html Storey, M. (2009). Earthballs - British Scleroderma species. Field Mycology 10(4): 122–127.
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