Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum

Plant Identification => Plant Identification Questions and Answers => Topic started by: Onion on March 20, 2012, 06:50:58 PM

Title: Help with the identification of this plant
Post by: Onion on March 20, 2012, 06:50:58 PM

A friend of mine send me these pictures. "Plants" stand under a roof of a house, dry, shady. Soil is sandy and acid.

Title: Re: Help with the identification of this plant
Post by: Maggi Young on March 20, 2012, 08:18:36 PM

I think this is the fungus Phycomyces nitens
It usually grows on animal dung or oily or greasy residue

http://www.bioimages.org.uk/html/r154341.htm

Title: Re: Help with the identification of this plant
Post by: Lesley Cox on March 21, 2012, 12:13:14 AM

Something similar has come up in some potted plants of Rh. camtschaticum album recently, fine black hairs with a slightly brownish speck on their tips. I tipped the plants out and found some lumps of cat poo which I'd missed when potting. Love our new dog but he's useless with cats.

Title: Re: Help with the identification of this plant
Post by: Anthony Darby on March 21, 2012, 09:20:23 AM

My goodness.  :o

Title: Re: Help with the identification of this plant
Post by: Onion on March 21, 2012, 08:23:36 PM

Thanks for the identification, what a nice forum  ;D

Title: Re: Help with the identification of this plant
Post by: Lesley Cox on March 23, 2012, 02:40:33 AM

Nice Forum, nasty fungus. :-X

Title: Re: Help with the identification of this plant
Post by: Hoy on March 23, 2012, 05:22:56 PM

Quote from: Lesley Cox on March 23, 2012, 02:40:33 AM

Nice Forum, nasty fungus. :-X

What or who should break down the nasty dead leaves or other residue without the ubiquitous fungi ;)

Title: Re: Help with the identification of this plant
Post by: Lesley Cox on March 23, 2012, 07:40:36 PM

Oh yes, I'm all for fungi generally - think of Olga's and Cliff's fantastic pictures, among others'  - it's just THIS fungus. But I suppose it's breaking down too so really it's not the nasty fungus just the nasty cat (in my case) who supplied the material for the fungus to act on.