Tony Hardware's Fungi Finds: Late July - Mid-August amazing finds, some first for SWest England

The next two posts, inc this one, all promote fungi located over a two week period but in alpha order. The first was an Amanita found in Pencarrow Woods, within the conifer section and patch I have earmarked as being good for all types of fungi. This became A. Excelsa var. excelsa after careful examination and after finding it's 'sister' A. Excelsa spissa close by also. Having found both under conifer I noticed that the spores were 'oversized' and noted as such in my records into FRDBI (BMS) and wonder if one day the coniferous species may well be a new variant, or so as this species seems to want further research. Found at Treraven conifers in the northern section on Rubus I detected Anthostomella rubicola. Not uncommon but nice find here. I located three myxomycetes species all in different locations but for now just list these as Arcyria denudata on 10th of August, Arcyria incarnata (slightly more uncommon) and Collaria arcyrionema as a 'most likely' and 4th for Cornwall record. The next ascomycete species was found on Yellow-grooved Bamboo in a friend's garden and a 'grass' that he was trying to eradicate, which apparently is very difficult. Here I found an unusual erupting species which matched a species of Arthrinium saccharicola as seen in a recently published paper on new species for this genus. The conidia and early growth cells with fine verrocose warts along with size all suggest this. This was the first record I could find anywhere but no doubt would need further looking at to be accepted. I keep a fungarium of all rare species I find so this is No 30 in my library, should one-day somebody may want them! Next up in the local park and on alien plant Bearsbreech I found Crocicreas cyathoideum, new for me but fairly common. The last species reported here came about in a strange way as a small almost invisible asco got caught up on the slide under microscopy and what turned out to be a basidomycete Flagelloscypha minutissima but looked like an asco! After confusing the mycologists of the world for 15 mins, I worked it out that this had been corrupted, probably by an even rarer species of ascomycete Tubeufia cerea, (very rare) the spores suggest this as they are unusual shaped in themselves. It is just about visible in the photograph just left of the RH specimen. Dark rounded blob is the best I can describe this. And annoying. Not truly evidence as needed more material to check but 7/8 sepate narrow large curved spores very close to this species. Lesson learned check for the minutest pimple next to the species you are working with!