Tony Hardware's Fungi Finds: December 2022

And I thought October was good - this month the Fungi Fairies (and Elves!) were on my side as I found and identified TEN new species for Gloucs., along with quite a few nearly new also making 22 species to discuss here this month. Towards the end of the month the agarics were disappearing fast but new fungi kept appearing in meadows, low grassy patches, etc., almost anywhere.

Going through these alphabetically I will start with a tiny clustered ascomycete found on an ex-bonfire site, extensive growth pattern shows a golden pigmentation in the swollen tips of the paraphyses and spores showing 2-guttulate content. This is Anthracobia macrocystis and found in Silk Woods near Tetbury. Few records in Gloucs. While visiting Minchinhampton Common at the beginning of the month I was aware that the Helianthemum mounds are very productive here and sure enough two turned up in a solitary state. The first turned into Cortinarius rubicosus, new for Gloucs and few other UK records. The gills are distinctly distant, KOH neg. on the cap and matching spores - very important in Cortinarius. Just a few metres away an Inocybe species was growing atop another mound, this one even better as became Inocybe slendens var. splendens, the rarer species than most which tend to be var. phaeoleuca. 2nd rec for Gloucs. Back to Silk Wood and this time in a patch of partially removed woody debris and woodchip from a variety of trees on the ground was Crepidotus autochthonus - rarely found but still only 4th for the County. In sheep fields NW of the Ebworth Estate I am surveying this year, I found a diminutive Coprinopsis species on dung. This turned out to be C. stercorea after careful studies under the microscope and the veil structure. New for Gloucs. In the same fields and day, also on dung I found the very tiny orange/yellow asco in Cheilymenia pulcherrima - new for County and also most of Southern England. Few records elsewhere. This takes some finding as being so small unless you study a lot of dung closely, then it will be missed. Fortunately, there was no one else around so I wouldn't look strange to many, mostly always dog walkers. I am thinking of taking around with me a large toy dog, just sits there looking at me, perhaps robotic and twitch its tail occasionally, then most other folk I meet wouldn't give me such suspicious looks (even though I look suspicious). At one of my favourite haunts at Cirencester Park, in and around the roads to the Polo Club (I couldn't play today as I left my mallet and horse at home and wasn't selected anyway!) walking through grasslands close to the forest edge I came across a very large Entoloma species. This turned out to be E. turbidum - new for the County. Entolomas can be very difficult to ID, most having no cystidia on the gill edge and not a lot more to go on other than the spores. But with careful examination, the spores are the clues. There are five types in shape - get this right and the macro description then you are not far off the identification. Clamps on the basidia also helps, if you can find them! Large allantoid spores, longitudinal basidia, IKI- and spores size proved a smooth grey looking resupinate (looks like 50 others) proved to be Exidiopsis calcea. This being 4th for Gloucs, but after my 2/3rd before! Odd. Galerina sideroides as found in Cirencester Park and at the same location Helvella crispa - included here as just really looking quite wonderful in this photo. Not uncommon. Also here an Inocybe posterula was located under Picea. Note I check all three cystidia types in Inocybes carefully before coming to a conclusion. 1st for Gloucs. Another Inocybe was found back in Ebworth, this one with Fagus and became I. margaritspora. Exploring the grasslands at Cranham Common would be new for me, but I found Lactarius evosmus (I had already located this species on Minchinhampton last year). Appearance alone should be enough to identify this species but to make sure then taste the milk but it will make your tongue sore for a few days - but you know you have the right species!! Very acrid. Here also on Cow dung I identified Paneolus subfirmus - looking like many other psathyrella species, but the microscope doesn't lie. 1st for the County. Back in Cir. Park near a fallen Fagus tree, growing in leaf litter was a fungus that blackens, especially on the gills with the slightest touch. This was Lyophyllum leucophaeatum - 1st for Gloucs and all West Midlands. Back to Ebworth, this time in the SW beech woods where I didn't find a great deal except one species growing off a fallen log. This had quite a conspicuous macro and was Marasmiellus foetidus. Normally foul smelling, well I didn't find out as looking was good enough (plus the microscopy of course). 1st for Gloucs and only 9th record in UK. At a wonderful small nature sanctuary just off the main Stroud road and all within 20 metres of each other I first found Lyophyllum fumosum (few records), then a large cluster of orangey/yellow/brown agarics growing on a large woodchip pile, probably mostly from broadleaf trees. This turned out to be the very rare Pholiota lucifera and new for the County and most of Central and SE England. Nearby, was the uncommon Psathyrella noli-tangere, looking nothing like a Psathyrella! Lastly, (still more) was the uncommon coral fungi Phaeoclavulina flaccida (was Ramaria) and an even more unusual jelly fungi Pseudohydum gelatinosum - not uncommon (new to me) just good to see! Finally I also picked up here the tiny spindle type fungus Pterula gracilis. Phew ... time for some pics.