Pembrokeshire Fungus Recorder Issue 3/2012

Pembrokeshire Fungus Recorder Issue 3/2012 Published quarterly by the Pembrokeshire Fungus Recording Network www.pembsfungi.org.uk Contents Fungus records Primrose rust: An uncommon rust on a common host (RNS) Sand dune fungi Not a fungus at all! Spring ascomycetes Wales’ S42 list updated Note on the new Collins’ field guide Photo: Tubulifera arachnoidea © T. Theobald Introduction The rainfall figures for the year-to-date show 180 an unusually dry March followed by a very 160 140 wet April, May and June. 120 100 2012 The transition to wetter conditions helped 80 20-yr Avge ensure a steady stream of records by the end 60 of the quarter - especially from woodland 40 sites visited by Mike Karpaty. 20 0 (Weather data courtesy of FSC, Orielton). Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Thanks are due to Valero Energy Ltd - Pembroke Refinery for kindly support- ing our work for another year. Their donation contributes towards the cost of sending voucher specimens to mycological specialists the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew as well as support- ing our local training and fungal awareness initiatives. News of our activities clearly travels outside the mycological community! - in April we received a request from the National Library of Wales for access to our website for archiving. Naturally we were happy to grant permission. The NLW also reminded us of our obligation to submit copies of any printed material to the British Library and NLW - an additional cost we need to be aware of.. David Harries, PFRN coordinator ([email protected]) July 2012 Fungus records Helvella lacunosa Heavy rain in June brought a useful flush of records including Pembrokeshire's first example of Helvella lacunosa (Elfin saddle) found by Robin Taylor in Pengelli Forest. Particular characters which help distinguish from similar species are the very dark and contorted saddle-shaped cap and the pale, deeply-furrowed stem. Specimens can reach 150 mm. in height and 50 mm. across. Tubulifera arachnoidea Trevor Theobald reported an interesting example of a Myxomycete (Slime mould) on dead wood near Newgale. The description is consistent with that for Tubulifera arachnoidea (Red Raspberry Slime), formerly known as Tubifera ferruginosa, and is the first Pembrokeshire record for the species. Trevor noted that the structures appeared crusty and granular, with some of the pustules "leaking" - almost like decaying paint-ball pellets. Although not strictly fungi, slime moulds form spore bearing structures that resemble fungi. Ini- tially the slime mould exists as a mobile phase called a Plasmodium which moves around, engulfing and consuming nutrients in the process. At some stage the Plasmodium changes form into Sporangia which are the spore-bearing structures and are cylindrical or cigar-shaped bodies, typically 0.3 x 5 mm in size, which cluster together to give raspberry-like structures 10 to 50 mm wide. Initially red, as in the photograph, they later turn purple then brown as they mature before releasing the spores. Laetiporus sulphureus Mike Karpaty found this fine collection of “Chicken of the Woods fruiting bodies near Narberth. The brackets, which are usually found on oak, can reach 400 mm. across and often occur high up on standing wood. Although widely reported across the UK, this is the first record for Pembrokeshire. 2 Primrose rust: An uncommon rust on a common host (R.N. Stringer) During the middle of May I received emails from David Harries and Vicky Tomlinson informing me that the rust Puccinia primulae (on Primrose) had been observed at three locations in Pembrokeshire: Freshwater East (VT), Somerton Farm (DJH) and Stackpole (Jon Hudson). The rust is “autoecious and macrocyclic” which means that it has a full complement of 5 spore stages which all occur on the same host plant viz. Primrose. The spore stage reported in May was the aecial stage - this is the second spore stage formed during the life cycle. This stage is very characteristic (Figure 1) and its presence on the underside of the leaf is indicated by the discoloration of the upper leaf surface which is almost totally white at the infection zone Figure 1. (Figure 2). The Primrose, (Primula vulgaris) is a characteristic plant of our Figure 2. woodlands and hedgerows. It is found in nearly every hectad throughout the British Isles and Ireland. Remarkably, with the exception of East Anglia populations have not fluctuated markedly during the last century (BSBI website). However, it is relative- ly surprising to learn that the rust is not that common given the abundance and distribution of the host. The rust is present throughout Britain (Figure 3) but has not been recorded in great numbers. There are over 300 records listed in the FRDBI and with the exception of North-east Yorkshire (30 records) most Vice- counties in England, Scotland and Ireland only record less than five sightings of P. primulae. It is difficult to explain why the number of sightings of this rust is so few. There are less than a dozen records for the whole of Wales, all of which except one are on Primrose. Debbie Evans found the rust on an Oxlip in North Wales a few years ago. There are only 3 sites for P. primulae in Carmarthenshire, one of these is in Laugharne and the other 2 within half a mile of the author’s home which is ironic given the fact that I looked for this rust for 15 years throughout the county before coming across the local sites. If anybody does come across this rust in their locality could they please inform either David or me. The author wishes to thank Vicky Tomlinson for her photograph used in Figure 1 and Malcolm Storey (Bioimages) for allowing the use of his photograph in Figure 2. RNS Figure 3: 10km distribution of Puccinia primulae in Great Britain and Ireland 3 Sand dune fungi (DJH) At first glance sand dune systems might appear to present a rather hostile environment for fungi. In fact the habitat can support a wide range of species including several that fruit in the early part of the year provided sufficient rain has fallen in the preceeding weeks. The seaward edge of a dune system comprises a leading edge of embryo (or fore-dunes) followed by a mobile yellow-dune region. This area is largely stabilised by Marram grass which accelerates the accumulation of sand. Most of the fungi associated with this part of the dune system are saprotrophic i.e. obtain nutrients from dead or decomposing material. In some cases they have a significant aggregation of mycelia (= the fine branching fila- ments which form part of the structure of the fungus) and sand at the base of the fruitbodies which gives a rooting appearance. This acts as a reservoir for nutrients and moisture as well as providing an anchor in shifting sand. The Latin names for several dune species include ammophila (ammophilus = sand loving) or arenaria (arena = sand or sandy place). Marram grass, which is the plant most associated with coastal dune systems in the UK, is Ammophila arenaria. This year, the first significant flush of fruiting bodies occurred in late April after a return to wet conditions following a period of dry weather. Psathyrella ammophila (Dune brittlestem) was present in large numbers amongst the fore-dunes at Freshwater West and was also reported from Freshwater East. Psathyrella ammophila has a grey-brown to reddish- brown cap hemispherical cap, which fades on drying, and measures up to 50 mm. in diameter. The gills are dark brown, blackening with age. Far less common is Coprinopsis ammophilae (Dune inkcap) which seems quite a fragile fungus for this harsh environment. The fruiting bodies appear as single specimens or clustered groups emerging from sand where they grow from dead Marram grass. The grey cap expands up to about 25 mm before blackening with age. C. ammophilae, which appears on the UK provision- al Red Data List as Vulnerable, was first described by the French mycologist Regis Courtecuisse in 1988. The UK Fungus records database shows just 18 records for the species, whilst local records to date are from Broadhaven South (2011) and Freshwater West (2012). 4 The third species recently observed in the dunes is markedly different in appearance. This is a member of the Peziza genus: Peziza ammophila (Dune cup) and is one of the few Peziza species that is easily recognised in the field by virtue of its unusual habitat. Specimens are largely hidden in the sand, but can extend up to 50 mm. in diameter. Many of the other 50 or so British members of the genus can only be reliably identified by microscopy. One feature of Peziza ammophila is the pseudostipe (see right hand photograph) which is a projecting root-like feature made up of mycorrhizal strands and sand. Unlike the previous two species, which are both basidiomycetes and which release their spores from gills on the underside of the cap, P. ammophila is an ascomycete which ejects spores from capsules embedded in the fertile surface of the fruiting body. References: Knudsen, H. & Vesterholt, J. (Eds.). (2008), Funga Nordica. Nordsvamp, Copenhagen. Rotheroe, M. (1993). The macrofungi of British sand dunes in Pegler, D. N. et. al. (Eds.), Fungi of Europe: investigation, recording and conservation, 121-137. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Stearn, W.T. (1966). Botanical Latin. David and Charles, Devon. Not a fungus at all! Always on the lookout for small fruiting bodies on soil, I spotted hundreds of unfamiliar bright green spheres on a patch of damp, well-trampled and enriched soil near a cattle feeding rack. The spheres measured up to 2 mm in diameter and were attached to the soil by root-like strands called rhizoids.

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