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Spring foraying in the Forest of Dean
Vol 14 (2)
Spring foraying in the Forest of Dean Kerry Robinson* pring 2011 was my second time leading a week’s spring foray in the Forest of Dean. We stay at Derek Schafer’s Hazeldene which provides comfortable accommodation and lab facilities where we can examine and discuss our finds each day. 2010 was my first year and I had no knowledge of the surrounding sites, not to mention my nervousness: “would I be able to identify species presented to me?” By my second visit I had a better idea of the habitat for each site and the weather was very accommodating.
them out easily; in my excitement I forgot to check. Just goes to show: always remember the basics first. At New Fancy we again found Helvella queletii (Fig. 6) under Salix in the leaf litter, smaller specimens than last year and fewer of them At the same site, along the edge of a grass path under conifers, a couple of slug-eaten Helvella leucomelaena were growing partly buried in the grass. Most of our other exciting finds were on the small side, mostly under 1 cm, so a good hand lens was always needed. I’ve always loved the search for these minute treasures, although it is often hard to convince others of one’s enthusiasm over such tiny discs. Old plant stems of hemlock water-dropwort, Oenanthe crocata, at Soudley ponds produced three very interesting species. Firstly some bright orange slightly pulvinate discs with creamy/whitish flesh, stalkless and hairless. On collection I had no idea what they were, and even later, having looked at them down the microscope I frustratingly drew a blank. It had hyaline spores ranging from 7.5–10 x 2.3–2.5 µm, and some of the paraphyses had swollen tips. The structure is distinctive with densely interwoven hyphae giving way to a surface layer of small more or less isodiametric cells. Even on returning home I had no idea what it was. With help from Zotto Baral it was named as Rodwayella citrinula (Fig. 7) a taxon I wasn’t familiar with. The second find was Mollisia-like cups with grey-black disc and white rims, which keyed out to Pyrenopeziza polygonia. Our third find on this host was the lovely Cistella aconiti (Fig. 8) with very pale, whitish buff discs and hairs, stalkless and very well camouflaged on the old bleached stems. This Cistella has interesting hairs: largely cylindrical, but tending to be twisted and covered with sharp spines. The ascus pore is iodine positive and the spores average 8 x 2.5 µm. Soudley was a good site this year with a good range of ascos including Lachnum fuscescens on fallen beech leaves, usually common in the right weather conditions. On old gorse branches
S
Discomycetes We got off to a good start with Myriosclerotinia curreyana (Fig. 1) found bursting through the stems of Juncus. The brown discs are Peziza-like, but with a stalk and a black sclerotium on the bottom hidden inside the Juncus stem. Other larger fungi found during the week were Sarcoscypha austriaca found at five sites, Verpa conica under a hedge close to Coed-y-paen wood and Morchella esculenta at its well known site of Coalpit Hill. I have to admit a few morels were collected and Joanna cooked them that evening for everyone to taste and Derek provided the wine. Foraying isn’t all hard work! We collected two species of Peziza. One on our first outing to Nags Head, on a line of wood chips was Peziza micropus (Fig. 2) with large discs up to 4 cm diameter. Later in the week another Peziza was found on wet soil on the bank of a small ditch. These dark brown cups were much smaller, only around 1 cm diameter, and were later identified as Peziza recedens (Fig. 3), an uncommon species. The Forest of Dean is good for wet boggy areas and this is ideal habitat for Pachyella babingtonii (Fig. 4) with brown, quite flat inconspicuous discs on water-soaked wood. Much more exciting was Pachyella violaceonigra (Fig. 5). It had blue-black discs with undulating edges, 2 cm in diameter, sitting among moss on a water soaked log. This species was new to me and I thought it looked like a Discina. Microscopically they also look similar but Discina species are iodine negative, while Pachyella is iodine positive, separating
*71 London Road, Baldock, Hertfordshire SG7 6NA
doi:10.1016/j.fldmyc.2013.03.004
41
Vol 14 (2) Proliferodiscus pulveraceus grew; always attractive with beautiful yellow discs and grey incrustations and a fringe of white hairs. Also Crocicreas dolosellum (Fig. 9) looking similar to Crocicreas cyathoideum, but the cream-buff apothecia have short teeth around the edge of the disc. This collection was on stinging nettle stems, though often collected on ash petioles as noted in Microfungi on Land Plants (Ellis & Ellis, 1985). Then another puzzling asco was found on an old fallen Douglas Fir cone. It looked rather like a Pezicula species, the apothecia were cushion shaped, pale cream-ochraceous with a slight reddish brown flush. Several fruitbodies were grouped together, but unfortunately there was not much material. I destroyed one looking at the spores, but this immediately ruled out Pezicula. The spores were 10–13 x 4.5–5 µm, and 1-septate, with guttules. Again Zotto Baral came to my rescue; it was another Rodwayella species, this one R. sessilis (Fig. 10) and again completely new to me. After the excitement of Soudley some of our other finds were more ordinary, but none the less interesting. It was delightful to see smoky grey goblets of Crocicreas starbaeckii (Fig. 11); minute and well hidden on last year’s runners of creeping buttercup, a good photographic challenge. On a water-soaked branch grew Parorbiliopsis minuta (Fig. 12), their small 0.2 mm greyish to translucent stalkless cups were growing gregariously. When dried these discs turn pale yellowish to ochraceous.
never collected Glyphium elatum (Fig.14). This looks like standing black chisels with concentric lines across the surface seated on a brown subiculum. We have seen it at several sites and recorded it for two consecutive years, it is said to be rare. I still have not recorded it in my home county of Hertfordshire. Basidiomycetes Basidiomycetes rather take a back seat, not many larger species were fruiting, but then one of those strange coincidences happened. I had collected a Coprinus under hawthorn in Hertfordshire just before the spring foray, which I could not fit to anything well in my literature. Knowing that Coprinus expert Derek Schafer was going to be with us, I took the dried material with me. After a lot of work he pronounced it to be a Peter Orton species, Coprinus cinnamomeotinctus (Fig. 15) [see FM 13(3): 99–104 for a write-up of this species]. Then on visiting New Fancy, I spotted what appeared to be the same Coprinus. I called for Derek and we photographed it and collected specimens. Later it was decided it did match the specimen I had collected in Herts. Is it a spring species? An interesting corticioid I spotted turned out to be the rarely collected Scotomyces subviolaceus (Fig. 16). It was dark grey and growing on barkless conifer wood. This species has large basidia and huge sterigmata. The spores are pipshaped, 6–8 x 4–4.5 µm and can germinate to form secondary spores. It is not clear what other species are closely related. Spring forays cover a large array of groups and to end with I feel it worth mentioning a few leaf parasites. Particularly nice was a rust found at Coel-y-paen, Puccinia albescens (Fig. 17), which grows on moschatel, Adoxa moschatellina. The aecia are pale yellowish to white and are found on the leaves and stems. It is less frequently found than the common Puccinia adoxae which exhibits a mass of dark brown teliospores. Coalpit Hill provided us with two rarely recorded Ramularia species. One, R. doronici on the living leaves of leopard’s bane, Doronicum pardalianches, the other, R. scolopendrii on harts tongue fern, Phyllitis scolopendrium. May my next spring foray in the Forest of Dean be as productive; there is so much more to learn and it is good to share knowledge with likeminded people.
Pyrenomycetes Nectria ralfsii was found on the bark of fallen sycamore branches. The perithecia are seated on a small stroma, very warted pale yellow orange, when dry, collapsing from above to form cups. A spring foray would not be complete without the mention of a few black pyrenomycetes. Most look like a black dot, as in the case of two Ophiobolus species. O. acuminatus is common on old thistle stems. What these crusty black dots lack in appearance they make up for under the microscope. The spores are golden brown in mass, multi-septate and reach the amazing size of up to 160 x 2 µm long, with two swollen cells near the centre. The second species, also on old thistle stems, was O. constrictus, which lacks the pair of swollen cells. Before foraying in the Forest of Dean I had
42
Vol 14 (2)
Fig. 1. Myriosclerotinia curreyana. Photo © Kerry Robinson.
Fig. 2. Peziza micropus. Photo © Kerry Robinson.
Fig. 3. Peziza recedens. Photo © Kerry Robinson.
Fig. 4. Pachyella babingtonii. Photo © Kerry Robinson.
Fig. 5. Pachyella violaceonigra. Photo © Kerry Robinson.
Fig. 6. Helvella queletii. Photo © Kerry Robinson.
Fig. 7. Rodwayella citrinula. Photo © Kerry Robinson.
Fig. 8. Cistella aconiti. Photo © Kerry Robinson.
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Vol 14 (2)
Fig. 10. Rodwayella sessilis. Photo © Kerry Robinson.
Fig. 9. Crocicreas dolosellum. Photo © Kerry Robinson.
Fig. 11. Crocicreas starbaeckii. Photo © Kerry Robinson.
Fig. 12. Parorbiliopsis minuta. Photo © Kerry Robinson.
Fig. 14. Glyphium elatum. Photo © Kerry Robinson.
Fig. 13. Nectria ralfsii. Photo © Kerry Robinson.
Fig. 16. Scotomyces subviolaceus. Photo © Kerry Robinson.
Fig. 15. Coprinus cinnamomeotinctus. Photo © Kerry Robinson.
Reference Ellis, M.B. & Ellis, P. (1985). Microfungi on Land Plants. An Identification Handbook. Croom Helm, London.
Fig. 17. Puccinia albescens. Photo © Kerry Robinson.
44
Spring foraying in the Forest of Dean Kerry Robinson* pring 2011 was my second time leading a week’s spring foray in the Forest of Dean. We stay at Derek Schafer’s Hazeldene which provides comfortable accommodation and lab facilities where we can examine and discuss our finds each day. 2010 was my first year and I had no knowledge of the surrounding sites, not to mention my nervousness: “would I be able to identify species presented to me?” By my second visit I had a better idea of the habitat for each site and the weather was very accommodating.
them out easily; in my excitement I forgot to check. Just goes to show: always remember the basics first. At New Fancy we again found Helvella queletii (Fig. 6) under Salix in the leaf litter, smaller specimens than last year and fewer of them At the same site, along the edge of a grass path under conifers, a couple of slug-eaten Helvella leucomelaena were growing partly buried in the grass. Most of our other exciting finds were on the small side, mostly under 1 cm, so a good hand lens was always needed. I’ve always loved the search for these minute treasures, although it is often hard to convince others of one’s enthusiasm over such tiny discs. Old plant stems of hemlock water-dropwort, Oenanthe crocata, at Soudley ponds produced three very interesting species. Firstly some bright orange slightly pulvinate discs with creamy/whitish flesh, stalkless and hairless. On collection I had no idea what they were, and even later, having looked at them down the microscope I frustratingly drew a blank. It had hyaline spores ranging from 7.5–10 x 2.3–2.5 µm, and some of the paraphyses had swollen tips. The structure is distinctive with densely interwoven hyphae giving way to a surface layer of small more or less isodiametric cells. Even on returning home I had no idea what it was. With help from Zotto Baral it was named as Rodwayella citrinula (Fig. 7) a taxon I wasn’t familiar with. The second find was Mollisia-like cups with grey-black disc and white rims, which keyed out to Pyrenopeziza polygonia. Our third find on this host was the lovely Cistella aconiti (Fig. 8) with very pale, whitish buff discs and hairs, stalkless and very well camouflaged on the old bleached stems. This Cistella has interesting hairs: largely cylindrical, but tending to be twisted and covered with sharp spines. The ascus pore is iodine positive and the spores average 8 x 2.5 µm. Soudley was a good site this year with a good range of ascos including Lachnum fuscescens on fallen beech leaves, usually common in the right weather conditions. On old gorse branches
S
Discomycetes We got off to a good start with Myriosclerotinia curreyana (Fig. 1) found bursting through the stems of Juncus. The brown discs are Peziza-like, but with a stalk and a black sclerotium on the bottom hidden inside the Juncus stem. Other larger fungi found during the week were Sarcoscypha austriaca found at five sites, Verpa conica under a hedge close to Coed-y-paen wood and Morchella esculenta at its well known site of Coalpit Hill. I have to admit a few morels were collected and Joanna cooked them that evening for everyone to taste and Derek provided the wine. Foraying isn’t all hard work! We collected two species of Peziza. One on our first outing to Nags Head, on a line of wood chips was Peziza micropus (Fig. 2) with large discs up to 4 cm diameter. Later in the week another Peziza was found on wet soil on the bank of a small ditch. These dark brown cups were much smaller, only around 1 cm diameter, and were later identified as Peziza recedens (Fig. 3), an uncommon species. The Forest of Dean is good for wet boggy areas and this is ideal habitat for Pachyella babingtonii (Fig. 4) with brown, quite flat inconspicuous discs on water-soaked wood. Much more exciting was Pachyella violaceonigra (Fig. 5). It had blue-black discs with undulating edges, 2 cm in diameter, sitting among moss on a water soaked log. This species was new to me and I thought it looked like a Discina. Microscopically they also look similar but Discina species are iodine negative, while Pachyella is iodine positive, separating
*71 London Road, Baldock, Hertfordshire SG7 6NA
doi:10.1016/j.fldmyc.2013.03.004
41
Vol 14 (2) Proliferodiscus pulveraceus grew; always attractive with beautiful yellow discs and grey incrustations and a fringe of white hairs. Also Crocicreas dolosellum (Fig. 9) looking similar to Crocicreas cyathoideum, but the cream-buff apothecia have short teeth around the edge of the disc. This collection was on stinging nettle stems, though often collected on ash petioles as noted in Microfungi on Land Plants (Ellis & Ellis, 1985). Then another puzzling asco was found on an old fallen Douglas Fir cone. It looked rather like a Pezicula species, the apothecia were cushion shaped, pale cream-ochraceous with a slight reddish brown flush. Several fruitbodies were grouped together, but unfortunately there was not much material. I destroyed one looking at the spores, but this immediately ruled out Pezicula. The spores were 10–13 x 4.5–5 µm, and 1-septate, with guttules. Again Zotto Baral came to my rescue; it was another Rodwayella species, this one R. sessilis (Fig. 10) and again completely new to me. After the excitement of Soudley some of our other finds were more ordinary, but none the less interesting. It was delightful to see smoky grey goblets of Crocicreas starbaeckii (Fig. 11); minute and well hidden on last year’s runners of creeping buttercup, a good photographic challenge. On a water-soaked branch grew Parorbiliopsis minuta (Fig. 12), their small 0.2 mm greyish to translucent stalkless cups were growing gregariously. When dried these discs turn pale yellowish to ochraceous.
never collected Glyphium elatum (Fig.14). This looks like standing black chisels with concentric lines across the surface seated on a brown subiculum. We have seen it at several sites and recorded it for two consecutive years, it is said to be rare. I still have not recorded it in my home county of Hertfordshire. Basidiomycetes Basidiomycetes rather take a back seat, not many larger species were fruiting, but then one of those strange coincidences happened. I had collected a Coprinus under hawthorn in Hertfordshire just before the spring foray, which I could not fit to anything well in my literature. Knowing that Coprinus expert Derek Schafer was going to be with us, I took the dried material with me. After a lot of work he pronounced it to be a Peter Orton species, Coprinus cinnamomeotinctus (Fig. 15) [see FM 13(3): 99–104 for a write-up of this species]. Then on visiting New Fancy, I spotted what appeared to be the same Coprinus. I called for Derek and we photographed it and collected specimens. Later it was decided it did match the specimen I had collected in Herts. Is it a spring species? An interesting corticioid I spotted turned out to be the rarely collected Scotomyces subviolaceus (Fig. 16). It was dark grey and growing on barkless conifer wood. This species has large basidia and huge sterigmata. The spores are pipshaped, 6–8 x 4–4.5 µm and can germinate to form secondary spores. It is not clear what other species are closely related. Spring forays cover a large array of groups and to end with I feel it worth mentioning a few leaf parasites. Particularly nice was a rust found at Coel-y-paen, Puccinia albescens (Fig. 17), which grows on moschatel, Adoxa moschatellina. The aecia are pale yellowish to white and are found on the leaves and stems. It is less frequently found than the common Puccinia adoxae which exhibits a mass of dark brown teliospores. Coalpit Hill provided us with two rarely recorded Ramularia species. One, R. doronici on the living leaves of leopard’s bane, Doronicum pardalianches, the other, R. scolopendrii on harts tongue fern, Phyllitis scolopendrium. May my next spring foray in the Forest of Dean be as productive; there is so much more to learn and it is good to share knowledge with likeminded people.
Pyrenomycetes Nectria ralfsii was found on the bark of fallen sycamore branches. The perithecia are seated on a small stroma, very warted pale yellow orange, when dry, collapsing from above to form cups. A spring foray would not be complete without the mention of a few black pyrenomycetes. Most look like a black dot, as in the case of two Ophiobolus species. O. acuminatus is common on old thistle stems. What these crusty black dots lack in appearance they make up for under the microscope. The spores are golden brown in mass, multi-septate and reach the amazing size of up to 160 x 2 µm long, with two swollen cells near the centre. The second species, also on old thistle stems, was O. constrictus, which lacks the pair of swollen cells. Before foraying in the Forest of Dean I had
42
Vol 14 (2)
Fig. 1. Myriosclerotinia curreyana. Photo © Kerry Robinson.
Fig. 2. Peziza micropus. Photo © Kerry Robinson.
Fig. 3. Peziza recedens. Photo © Kerry Robinson.
Fig. 4. Pachyella babingtonii. Photo © Kerry Robinson.
Fig. 5. Pachyella violaceonigra. Photo © Kerry Robinson.
Fig. 6. Helvella queletii. Photo © Kerry Robinson.
Fig. 7. Rodwayella citrinula. Photo © Kerry Robinson.
Fig. 8. Cistella aconiti. Photo © Kerry Robinson.
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Vol 14 (2)
Fig. 10. Rodwayella sessilis. Photo © Kerry Robinson.
Fig. 9. Crocicreas dolosellum. Photo © Kerry Robinson.
Fig. 11. Crocicreas starbaeckii. Photo © Kerry Robinson.
Fig. 12. Parorbiliopsis minuta. Photo © Kerry Robinson.
Fig. 14. Glyphium elatum. Photo © Kerry Robinson.
Fig. 13. Nectria ralfsii. Photo © Kerry Robinson.
Fig. 16. Scotomyces subviolaceus. Photo © Kerry Robinson.
Fig. 15. Coprinus cinnamomeotinctus. Photo © Kerry Robinson.
Reference Ellis, M.B. & Ellis, P. (1985). Microfungi on Land Plants. An Identification Handbook. Croom Helm, London.
Fig. 17. Puccinia albescens. Photo © Kerry Robinson.
44