Tony Hardware's Fungi Finds: April 2022

This month turned out to be extremely productive, with some surprising finds and one resupinate still under investigation and DNA analysis as it could be new species for the UK or science. First up fungi were found waiting for the steam train special the 'Flying Scotsman' to rush past me at my local railway crossing. Experinece in itself and took me back to my trainspotting days. The anorak is long gone. Having got there early in case, even though I have never heard of a train being early once, I happened upon a mix of brambles and hogweed that had only recently been cleared. Nestled at the base of damp Hogweed was a tiny discomycete in Belonidium mollissimum - just the 5th record for the UK. Also here although not quite so rare was Pyrenopeziza rubi on a Rubus stem. If that wasn't enough, then found a small asco. on Rubus again and under the scope showed itself as an anamorph of Discostroma corticola, called Seimatosporium lichenicloa. New for Gloucs. I see 'they' are trying to change the taxonomy system to do away with alternative names for conidia state species which are actually older morphs of the originally named ascomycete. Makes sense, they are the same species. At a recently located site at Painswick Beacon where there is a stand of neglected Pinus trees I found a rare resupinate Brevicellicium exile under P. sylvestris. This being only the 4th record in UK. Also here on the same substrate I found Tubulicrinus subulatus, a delightful genus most of which have enormous Lyocystidia with very think walls. At Cliff Woods I found some odd looking jelly fungi growing alongside the more common Dacrymyces stillatus. These were just a few but growing with white stalks and suggested the very rare Ditiola radicata. Not so, just D. stillatus. Also here at Cliff Woods I came across a fallen top section of a Picea trunk. Turning this over proved fruitful as I found a grey looking resupinate you wouldn't normally bother with. I did and the reward is that this could be a new species for science having checked with my distinguished colleagues at the BMS and is being assessed as we write/read. More on that later if its good news. Cirencester Park came up trumps again this time with a resupinate again (it is March!) finding Gloeocystidiellum clavuligerum on Fagus. New for Gloucs. Also here uncommon for the county was the colourful Ceriporia purpurea. Again here and under Pinus I noticed an agaric mushroom growing through the pine litter. Being early March then this was a surprise. This turned out to be the deep rooting Strobilurus esculentus which grows from buried Pinus cones. Not that uncommon but new for me. At NE Siccaridge Woods I came upon a rare resupinate this one loose and woolly which turned out to be the rarely seen Trechispora silvae-ryae. Mind you I did turnover ten other logs before this one showed. Lastly, for this very productive month I came across a very unusual ascomycete under Fagus. This had individual sections of stroma growing out 5/6 projecting arms. This was Peroneutypa scoparia - once seen never forgotten.