Friends of Weir Wood Society Fungus Foray
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Friends of Weir Wood Society Fungus Foray - Saturday 9th November 2019 We were lucky to dodge the rain which only started as we were leaving. The water level in the reservoir is high and the paths through the study area were boggy. The areas on the shore where we explored last year were under water. A group of 22 people enjoyed the walk. The members of the Sussex Fungus Society who joined us were very friendly and helpful - enabling all of us to keep up with the finds and identifications as we got spread out making our way out to Pintail Point and back. The Whillet's meadows would have been too wet to include in the walk. But it did not matter as we used up the planned time in the first area. Thanks to the many pairs of experienced eyes we found some 74 species; including: large ones; very small ones; jelly ones; carpet ones and quite rare ones. The quite rare one was Guepiniopsis buccinia. There are only about a dozen records for the UK and it is new to East Sussex. It has a more or less worldwide distribution but prefers broad-leaf woodland in temperate/subtropical climates where it is a weak saprophyte - decomposing dead wood. It is a basidiomycete related to other 'jelly' fungi such as Stag's Horn. Even though there were no Sussex records prior to last year, there were a few in 2018 (Goodwood, Ebernoe) so perhaps it is increasing. A full list of the species found with photos of some examples follow. A big thank you to Nick Aplin, The Chair of The Sussex Fungus Society, for leading the walk so well and to the members of the Society who educated and helped us all so generously. We were also privileged to have Martin Allison with us. He is the county recorder for basidiomycete fungi. Nick is the recorder for ascomycetes. It is unusual to have both of them together covering such a wide spectrum of the fungi kingdom. (If you are curious - an explanation is given at the end.) Trooping Funnel Our group in the study area. Trooping Funnel Trooping Funnel Clitocybe gotropa Clitocybe geotropa Trametes versicolor Frosted Bonnet Olive Oysterling Turkeytail Mycena adscendens Sarcomyca serotina Candlesnuff Candlesnuff Mycena cf. heimalis Xylaria hypoxylon Xylaria hypoxylon Hairy Curtain Crust Orange Moss Cap Lilac Bonnet Stereum hirstutum Rickenella fibula Mycena pura Butter Cap Sulphur Tuft Rhodocollybia butyracea Laxitextum bicolor Hypholoma fasciculare Fenugreek Stalk Ball Purple Jelly Disc Crystal Brain Phleogena faginea Ascocoryne sarcoides Exidia nucleata Hare’s ear Stump Puffball Common Puffball Otidea onotica Lycoperdon pyriiforme Lycoperdon perlatum Lactarius sp. Brown Shaggy Parasol Alder Bracket Chlorophyllum brunneum Mensularia radiata Guepiniopsis buccinia (Scarce fungus - see note) Birch Polypore Fenugreek Stalk Ball Piptoporus betulinus Phleogena faginea List of All Species Found Courtesy of Nick Aplin Species Common name Amanita rubescens Armillaria gallica Bulbous Honey Fungus Ascocoryne sarcoides Purple Jellydisc Auricularia auricula-judae Jelly Ear Boletus badius Bay Bolete Calycina claroflava Chaetosphaerella phaeostroma Clitocybe geotropa Trooping Funnel Clitopilus prunulus The Miller Coprinellus disseminatus Fairy Inkcap Coprinellus micaceus Glistening Inkcap Cortinarius hemitrichus Frosty Webcap Cortinarius hinnuleus Earthy Webcap Cortinarius quercoconicus Crepidotus epibryus Grass Oysterling Crepidotus mollis Peeling Oysterling Daedaleopsis confragosa Blushing Bracket Daldinia concentrica King Alfred's Cakes Exidia nucleata Crystal Brain Exidia recisa Amber Jelly Galerina marginata Funeral Bell Galerina nana Ganoderma applanatum Artist's Bracket Guepiniopsis buccina Gymnopus confluens Clustered Toughshank Hydropus floccipes Hymenochaete corrugata Glue Crust Hypholoma fasciculare Hypholoma fasciculare Hypoxylon howeanum Inocybe geophylla var. lilacina Lilac Fibrecap Laccaria amethystina Amethyst Deceiver Laccaria laccata Deceiver Lactarius fulvissimus Tawny Milkcap Lactarius quietus Oakbug Milkcap Lactarius tabidus Birch Milkcap Lenzites betulina Birch Mazegill Lepista nuda Wood Blewit Lycoperdon perlatum Common Puffball Lycoperdon pyriforme Stump Puffball Marasmiellus ramealis Twig Parachute Megacollybia platyphylla Whitelaced Shank Mensularia radiata Alder Bracket Mensularia radiata Alder Bracket Mycena galericulata Common Bonnet Mycena pura Lilac Bonnet Mycena rosea Rosy Bonnet Mycena tenerrima Frosty Bonnet Mycoacia aurea Naucoria escharioides Ochre Aldercap Nectria cinnabarina Coral Spot Neodasyscypha cerina Panellus stipticus Bitter Oysterling Paxillus Phlebia radiata Wrinkled Crust Phleogena faginea Fenugreek Stalkball Physarum album Piptoporus betulinus Birch Polypore Plicatura crispa Crimped Gill Polydesmia pruinosa Rhodocollybia butyracea Butter Cap Rickenella fibula Orange Mosscap Russula amoenolens Camembert Brittlegill Russula atropurpurea Purple Brittlegill Russula cyanoxantha Charcoal Burner Russula fragilis Russula grisea Russula ochroleuca Ochre Brittlegill Sarcomyxa serotina Olive Oysterling Stereum gausapatum Bleeding Oak Crust Stereum subtomentosum Yellowing Curtain Crust Trametes hirsuta Hairy Bracket Tricholoma album White Knight Tricholoma sulphureum Xylaria polymorpha Dead Man's Fingers Note on Ascomycota and Basidiomycota The Ascomycota phylum of the kingdom Fungi, together with the Basidiomycota, form the subkingdom Dikarya. Its members are commonly known as the sac fungi. It is the largest phylum of Fungi, with over 64,000 species. Many ascomycetes are of commercial importance: such as the yeasts used in baking, brewing, and wine fermentation; plus truffles and morels, which are gourmet delicacies. Aspergillus oryzae is used in the fermentation of rice to produce sake. Other ascomycetes parasitize plants and animals, including humans. Some not only destroy crops directly; but they produce poisonous secondary metabolites that make crops unfit for consumption. The Basidiomycota is a large and diverse phylum of fungi that includes: jelly and shelf fungi; mushrooms; puffballs; stinkhorns; certain yeasts and the rusts and smuts. They include about 30,000 described species, which is over one third of the described species of true Fungi Basidiomycota have a huge impact on human affairs and ecosystem functioning. Many obtain nutrition from decaying organic matter including wood and leaf litter. Thus, they play a significant role in the carbon cycle. Unfortunately, they frequently attack the wood in buildings and other structures which has negative economic consequences for humans. We have found diverse uses for Basidiomycota. Mushrooms, both cultivated and wild, are eaten in many countries. Species of Psilocybe produce hallucinogens which have traditionally been used in Central American indigenous cultures as a spiritual tool - and are now cultivated for the illicit drug trade. Astaxanthin, a red pigment produced by the yeast Phaffia is used to add colour to farmed salmon. Certain enzymes from wood-decaying Basidiomycota have potential applications in paper production and the decontamination of polluted environments using biological agents. Tom Howard-Jones November 2019 .