Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
General Subjects => General Forum => Topic started by: ArnoldT on June 29, 2014, 01:33:37 AM
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Found this growing in some wood chips. Not sure if it a fungi.
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Arnold
This is Dog Stinkhorn Mutinus caninus (although it may have a different vernacular name in North America). Smaller and less smelly than the Common Stinkhorn Phallus impudicus.
One of your specimens is almost mature but they look disturbed or damage so may not develop further.
Chris
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Scottish peaks hiding unknown mushrooms species
Researchers have already discovered nearly 300 different species on Scottish peaks, of which 34 had never been found before in the UK
Written by Ilona Amos in the Scotsman 14/09/2014 http://www.scotsman.com/news/environment/scottish-peaks-hiding-unknown-mushrooms-species-1-3541067 (http://www.scotsman.com/news/environment/scottish-peaks-hiding-unknown-mushrooms-species-1-3541067)
SCIENTISTS studying plantlife on Scottish mountaintops have unearthed a vast treasure trove of new mushroom species existing in a precarious balance with some of the nation’s most threatened native shrubs.
Mycologists have collected an astonishing number of previously unknown fungi on peaks across the country, hinting that Scotland’s hills may be a haven for many
more undiscovered species. Of nearly 300 different species found, 28 are unique and 34 never before found in the UK.
But Dr Andy Taylor, a fungi specialist from the James Hutton Institute (JHI), is warning that this bounty is in imminent danger of vanishing before it can be properly studied. “We’ve found species new to Scotland, new to the UK and species that are undescribed so they’re new to science,” he said. “Fungi in general are under-recorded, but what amazed us was the number of undescribed species.
“We’ve got, minimum, 28 new species. It’s just crazy as this is only from 23 sites, and if you consider the hundreds of potential sites in Scotland it’s staggering.
“There’s this hidden diversity that nobody knows about.”
Taylor and his team focused on a particular group of fungi that grow on the roots of native mountain shrubs, many of which are under threat.
“The plants and fungi are mutually dependent, with the fungi taking up nutrients from the soil and passing them on to the plants in return for sugars,” he said. “Without the fungi, the plants don’t survive and vice versa – they’re mutually dependent.
His colleague Andrea Britton, an ecologist at JHI, has for several years been studying long-term changes in Scotland’s alpine vegetation.
Her research has shown significant changes in mountain plants, with marked declines in the overall diversity of species over the past 30 to 50 years. She found there has been a surge in widely occurring varieties, spreading from lower areas, while specialist upland shrubs have been disappearing at an alarming rate.
These changes are believed to be linked to climate change, with milder conditions allowing lowland species to colonise higher latitudes, or as a result of increased of nitrogen in the soil benefiting grasses and
other generalists over slow-growing mountain shrubs such as dwarf birch, dwarf
willow and alpine bearberry.
Now Taylor is planning further studies of the endemic mushrooms and their host plants, which he believes could answer some of the biggest questions about the evolution of Scotland’s natural environment in the past 12,000 years.
JHI student Emily Hesling collected many of the new mushrooms while completing her PhD.
The 28-year-old said: “It has been long assumed the most diverse communities of fungi in the country are found in lowland places like native Caledonian pinewoods, where carpets of fungi of all shapes and sizes can be seen at this time of year. We found that
the communities of fungi found on the mountainsides growing with the plant bearberry were as diverse as, if not more diverse than, those in the Caledonian pinewoods."
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Fascinating. I was aware of this research but not the extent of the findings, especially the unprecedented number new to science.
Chris
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Fascinating. I was aware of this research but not the extent of the findings, especially the unprecedented number new to science.
Chris
I was pretty astonished at the numbers, for sure.
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Finding species new to Britain isn't quite so surprising as they are being added to the fungal databases on a monthly basis. But, again, the numbers are astonishing.
Chris
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This was found by one of the school caretakers at my children's school (Botany Downs Secondary College, Auckland). It weighed 4kg! There are more of them where it was found.
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This was found by one of the school caretakers at my children's school (Botany Downs Secondary College, Auckland). It weighed 4kg! There are more of them where it was found.
Wow! ... well past its sell-by date. A Boletus species.
Chris
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I can on find reference to one species introduced to New Zealand, and according to th'interweb, Boletus edulis is only found near Christchurch. The native species is B. leptospermi, but this one was too far gone to check the blue bruising.
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I think Boletus leptospermi is indiginous to New Zealand and, from what I can ascertain, not especially large.
Boletus edulis is by far the most likely, growing to a considerable size in suitable habitat. Having been introduced to NZ, the spores will do the rest, travelling thousands of miles. As the name suggests, Boletus edulis is the most desirable of the Boletes in gastronomy and much sought after, especially in Europe.
Chris
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The flower beds at our local football park are covered in bark and planted Dietes iridioides and the occasional D. grandiflora. A month ago, for goodness knows what reason, a council employee strimmed (called "line trimming" here) them to ground level. In amongst them was this octopus stinkhorn (Clathrus archeri). Sometimes I find the white basket fungus (Ileodictyon cibarium(, which looks like a football skeleton.
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Clathrus archeri is usually quite rare here but it enjoyed a good showing last year, often in the token borders of supermarkets, where woodchip had been applied.
Chris
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Must have been introduced Chris as it's native to Australia and New Zealand.
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Indeed so, Anthony ... it reached Europe at the start of the first World War. It's still a rare find here; last year was exceptional.
Chris
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No real surprise to see the stupid cutting of the amenity planting, Anthony - there is worse
happening in NZ it seems : https://nz.news.yahoo.com/a/-/local/24904468/swamp-kauri-mining-pushes-rare-native-orchid-to-extinction/# - I think the endangered orchids are Thelymitra
[attachimg=1]
I was amazed to see just how enormous the swamp kauri - ancient tree remains- can be - the forest must have been mind-boggling
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Good grief! I knew swamp kauri, which is thousands of years old, was still being dug up but I'd no idea the trunks were so huge. I despair when I see it made into tourist tat!
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This was found by one of the school caretakers at my children's school (Botany Downs Secondary College, Auckland). It weighed 4kg! There are more of them where it was found.
I have just picked up on this thread so have not commented earlier. What you have got is Phlebopus marginatus, also known as Phlebopus portentosus. It is a bolete but is different to the familiar European ones. It is also found in Australia and in South-east Asia extending north into Yunnan. The Chinese and the Thais eat it considering it a delicacy. A considerable amount of work has gone into learning to cultivate it.
Boletes particularly Suillus are common in New Zealand and are associated with introduced conifers.
A rather pretty native bolete is Austroboletus lacunosus . This specimen was photographed at the beginning of the Heaphy Track in Nelson last May
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Thanks David. None of my books, searches or inquiries yielded the answer. Looks like this one was just a baby! 8)
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I have just picked up on this thread so have not commented earlier. What you have got is Phlebopus marginatus, also known as Phlebopus portentosus. It is a bolete but is different to the familiar European ones. It is also found in Australia and in South-east Asia extending north into Yunnan. The Chinese and the Thais eat it considering it a delicacy. A considerable amount of work has gone into learning to cultivate it.
Boletes particularly Suillus are common in New Zealand and are associated with introduced conifers.
Thanks for the correct identification of this fungus, David. Not one I have heard of, which is not surprising as it's entirely southern hemisphere.
Chris
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Always a beauty to see in the garden, Geastrum
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Very nice. Collared Earthstar, in my opinion.
There are about 22 species in Britain with the Collared Earthstar Geastrum triplex the most frequently found and one of the largest. The spreading, cracking, base is typical. Most often found in humus-rich woodland.
Chris
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This year we have a very dry weather and fungi had little ...
Unknown mushrooms
[attachimg=1]
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Hi Natalia
An interesting looking mushroom and not one I can place at present. It is still immature and any other images you have of the cap expanded and a photograph of the gills would be helpful. It could be indigenous to Russia, of course.
Chris
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Hi, Chris
I'm afraid I can not help - I accidentally stepped on them ...
Cyathus striatus
[attachimg=1]
Probably this is the last mushrooms this year ...
Natalia
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Probably this is the last mushrooms this year ...
Another nice image ...
Is this the last because of frost and snow? The season is longer here but sub-zero temperatures finishes them off.
Chris
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Chris, alas, we already had frost -10-15 degrees ...
As these fungi remained - I do not know.
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Surprising. :o
The larger, gilled fungi perish first as they are over 90% water. Others can survive longer, especially if they have some protection from woodland or forestry.
Chris
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I was reflecting recently on what a poor season it has been for grassland fungi and waxcaps in particular. The main period here is from September to the end of October.
What a pleasant surprise then to note my best site was a mass of colourful fruitbodies. It was a cold night which left them covered in frost. This one is Crimson Waxcap Hygrocybe punicea.
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Lots of Giant Parasols and Horse Mushrooms on the North Downs in Kent this year. Delicious!
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The local group had an enjoyable meeting yesterday looking at waxcaps. I also found this: Lepista panaeolus
Chris
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Toadstools have been amazing here this year. I photographed a lot in September but have not got round to resizing and posting.
These were pictured last week at the base of a Chamaecyparis in my brother's garden next door.
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Nice images, Roma. It's an astonishing late autumn for fungi.
These are most likely to be Clouded Funnel Clitocybe nebularis. The edges turn upwards as they get old.
Chris
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A new species on our front lawn at present; I'm calling it Hygrocybe nivea, the Snowy Waxcap, but I'm prepared to be proved wrong!
Note that I'm also referring to the area in front of the house as a 'lawn' as there is evidence of a few blades of grass amongst the moss. ;)
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A new species on our front lawn at present; I'm calling it Hygrocybe nivea, the Snowy Waxcap, but I'm prepared to be proved wrong!
Note that I'm also referring to the area in front of the house as a 'lawn' as there is evidence of a few blades of grass amongst the moss. ;)
Hi Peter
Yes, Hygrocybe nivea.
If you had a 'real' treated lawn, you certainly wouldn't be getting waxcaps.
Chris
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Thanks Chris.
If you had a 'real' treated lawn, you certainly wouldn't be getting waxcaps
Life's too short to be fussing about over lawns. ;)
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Thanks Chris.
Life's too short to be fussing about over lawns. ;)
Couldn't agree more - and your "patch" is, at least green- so that's good enough for me for it to be called a lawn!
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The President of the Pacific Bulb Society, Nhu Nguyen, has a wide interest in other plants too - and here's some proof ( if any were needed!) in this article about a new mushroom, discovered on the UC Berkeley campus, which is the first since 1985 - http://phys.org/news/2014-11-mushroom-campus.html (http://phys.org/news/2014-11-mushroom-campus.html) -leading to a call from its discoverers for more green space on campuses and a full listing of N. American fungus species.
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Not sure how you find all these gems, Maggi. 8)
It's generally accepted that life as we know it wouldn't exist without fungi; a grossly under-recorded taxon, and under-funded of course.
Chris
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Found the Death Cap, Amanita phalloides, growing in a wood near Rolvenden, Kent today. Fortunately quite rare! And no, we didn't touch it!