Tag: Nottinghamshire

Fungi Profiles

Terana caerulea, Cobalt crust, Nottinghamshire, UK

Mushroomination

Terana caerulea, Cobalt crust, Bilsthorpe, November 2022

At almost the end of a delightful walk spotting fungal treasures in a deciduous wood on a rewilded old train track in Bilsthorpe, rural Nottinghamshire, I spotted some lovely Auricularia auricula-judae (wood ears) on a gnarly, jaggedy, tall stump of a tree. I then looked up and wondered how I could have missed the most incredible, midnight blue covering almost half of the wood. In my excitement at my new discovery, my photographs came out a little unfocused.

This beauty is resupinate, meaning it grows flat on its substrate and it is saprobic – feeding off dead matter. The top view above shows the fungus weaving between all parts of the wood. It can be seen all year round, the deep blue cobalt colour with a lighter or whiteish margin. It grow in smaller patches which sometimes merge as it spreads across its substrate. Cobalt crust loses its vividity with age.

I have to admit I am unsure of what the tree is. Cobalt crust is said to have a preference for ash and hazel and other broad leaved trees. Auricularia auricula-judae is most commonly found on elder, though also found on ash, hazel and other deciduous trees.  The tall stump (or small snag), was covered in a multitude of other lichens but right at the bottom the bark is visible a little and could look like ash, which would line up with the cross-over of both these species.

 

 

 

Terana caerulea is said to be occasional in England and Wales. The 587 records on Cate2 for the UK, run by The Fungus Conservation Trust, shows records concentrated to England, particularly the south, notably in the south-west, in Cornwall; 3 records from Scotland and none in Northern Ireland. The records span from 1909 to October 2022. They are on a range of broad-leaved, deciduous trees including Oak, Ash and Elm and gorse. The National Biodiversity Data Centre for the island of Ireland has 3 records, 2 from County Kerry and 1 from County Limerick, dating from January and November, 2014 and 2015.

 

Basic Profile

Scientific name: Terana caerulea (formerly Pulcherricium caeruleum still present in some books)

Common English names: Cobalt Crust; Velvet Blue Spread

Size of fruiting body: Variable 0.1 x 0.5cm thick

Spores: hyaline 6.5-9 x 4.5-5.5 µm

Gills: None

Edibility: No!

Lookalikes: A few fungal crusts and lichens, but none have the vivid cobalt colour, though it does fade with age. First Nature lists Stereum subtomentosum as being similar, but has a grey or yellow colour.

On the Red Data List (extinct/critically endangered/endangered/vulnerable/near threatened): No

References:

Cate2 Database, managed and maintained by The Fungus Conservation Trust

First-nature.com

National Biodiversity Data Centre

Red Data List, British Mycological Society

http://iucn.ekoo.se/, The Global Fungal Red List Initiative

Collins Complete Guide to British Mushrooms & Toadstools, Paul Sterry & Barry Hughes, 2009

Mushrooms and Toadstools of Britain and Europe, Edmund Garnweidner, 1994

Mushrooms, Patrick Hardy, 2013

The Encyclopedia of Fungi of Britain and Europe, Michael Jordan, 2004

Fungi Profiles

Hypholoma fasciculare, Sulphur Tuft, Sherwood Pines, England

Mushroomination

7th September 2021, Hypholoma fasciculare, Sherwood Pines

The wonderful Sherwood pines in Nottinghamshire is a brilliant space for cycling, mushroom hunting and also getting lost. I was happy to spot these whilst pootling around on one adventure. Clustered on a little pine stump itself covered with a montage of brambles, nettles and grass, these little sulphur tufts were glowing on the forest floor, I had to stop (and make my poor suffering parents stop) and check them out.

I was delighted to see their sulphurus coloured gills, characteristically the same colour as the stem and also had a hint of olive as they were aging. It was my first time noticing these distinctive fungi in real life, though they are common and widespread. I have really been missing out and the records reflect this, Cate2 shows them all over the British Isles, 16, 426 records at time of typing, and even the less resourced National Biodata Centre for Ireland has 209 records, dotted all over the country.

They fruit throughout the year, but are more numerous in summer and autumn. They are found on broadleaved and coniferous trees, and is another white rot fungus, able to break down lignin and cellulose. There is a faint ring on the stem, though I couldn’t see that on these, and when very young there can be veil remnants. Hypholoma fasciculare has been used experimentally as a fungicide, to try to eradicate an Armillaria species in British Colombia.

Basic Profile

Scientific name: Hypholoma fasciculare

Common English names: Sulphur Tuft

Size of fruiting body: 4-10cm x 0.5-1cm tall, 2-7cm wide cap

Spores: 6-8 x 4-4.5 µm

Gills: Adnate, sulphure, becoming olive

Edibility: Inedible – bitter – some sources say they are linked to fatalities

Lookalikes: Hypholoma capnoides

On the Red Data List (extinct/critically endangered/endangered/vulnerable/near threatened):

References:

Cate2 Database, managed and maintained by The Fungus Conservation Trust

First-nature.com

Mechanism of antibacterial activity of the white-rot fungus Hypholoma fasciculare colonizing wood, Wietse de Boer  1 , Larissa B Folman, Paulien J A Klein Gunnewiek, Teresia Svensson, David Bastviken, Gunilla Oberg, José C del Rio, Lynne Boddy

National Biodiversity Data Centre

Red Data List, British Mycological Society

Early results from field trials using Hypholoma fasciculare to reduce Armillaria ostoyae root disease

http://iucn.ekoo.se/, The Global Fungal Red List Initiative

Collins Complete Guide to British Mushrooms & Toadstools, Paul Sterry & Barry Hughes, 2009

Mushrooms and Toadstools of Britain and Europe, Edmund Garnweidner, 1994

Mushrooms, Patrick Hardy, 2013

The Encyclopedia of Fungi of Britain and Europe, Michael Jordan, 2004

Fungi Profiles

Fomitopsis betulina, Birch Polypore, Nottinghamshire, UK

Mushroomination
Birch Polypores in abundance, Sherwood Forest, Edwinstowe

This time last year I was visiting my parents back in the UK, after not seeing them for a year and a half due to the pandemic. How time flies! They are very lucky to live near the beautifully sprawling Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire, lots of different areas, it’s a mine of experiences, biodiversity and incredible to see. We visited the historical Major Oak trail near Edwinstowe on one occasion and it was abundant in Birch polypores – Piptoporus betulina or Polyporus betulina or Fomitopsis betulina, the latter, apparently being the most accepted scientific name since 2016 according to the trusty website First Nature. Enough about confusing names as I look through my ID books and realise I should get some updated ones.

3/9/2021 Young Birch Polypore
3/9/2021 Birch Polypore

The birch polypore, is fascinating, ball-like when young, emerging from birch trees, it is a parasitical fungus. Many specimens I saw on this trip were young, I kept hoping that they Reticularia lycoperdon (aka Moon Poo), a slime mould, even though it’s not the season, I just really wanted to see some. It remains on my wish list. I kept prodding each one to check, but they were all too firm and indicated birch polypore.

Birch Polypores

After its globular growth, it then flattens and grows commonly into a kidney shape, retaining a narrow point of attachment to its poor host tree. The top side turns brown-ish or grey with some rings and often has a cracked appearance, there is a white margin that turns under when mature. The underside is said to have small white pores that mature grey. They fruit all year round, so a good one to keep an eye out for in all seasons, on living trees and dead wood.

I learned, after being surrounded by them, that birch polypore are said to be medicinal, used in folk medicine and was even found with a 5300 year old mummy in Austria. A scientific study from 2018, showed that it had particular immune system enhancing properties. One of its common names – Razorstrop fungus – belies another of its uses, that of a tool for sharpening razors on this hard fungus. It’s also known to be used to start campfires too.

This parasite is a brown rot, instead of white rots that break down lignin, brown rot attacks carbohydrates and demethylates the lignin, not being able to fully decompose it like white rot fungi.

A prolific fungus with a strong sociological and medicinal history which continues to evolve, birch polypore is now one of my favourites to look out for.

Birch polypore’s lookalike – Fomes fomentarius is much more hoof shaped and darker, this is a very old, gnarly looking specimen of Fomes fomentarius

Basic Profile

Scientific name: Fomitopsis betulina formerly Polyporus betulina / Piptoporus betulina

Common English names: Birch polypore; Razorstrop fungus

Size of fruiting body: 8-30cm across , 2-6cm thick

Spores: 5-7 x 1.5- 2 µm

Gills: Pores, creamy white, angular, aging grey/brown

Edibility: Bitter taste, inedible unless processed

Lookalikes: Fomes fomentarius also on birch but much thicker and darker, like a horse’s hoof

On the Red Data List (extinct/critically endangered/endangered/vulnerable/near threatened):

References:

Brown Rot Fungi, Science Direct

Cate2 Database, managed and maintained by The Fungus Conservation Trust

Collins Complete Guide to British Mushrooms & Toadstools, Paul Sterry & Barry Hughes, 2009

Effects of Birch Polypore Mushroom, Piptoporus betulinus (Agaricomycetes), the “Iceman’s Fungus”, on Human Immune Cells

First-nature.com

National Biodiversity Data Centre

http://iucn.ekoo.se/, The Global Fungal Red List Initiative

Mushrooms and Toadstools of Britain and Europe, Edmund Garnweidner, 1994

Mushrooms, Patrick Hardy, 2013

Red Data List, British Mycological Society

The Encyclopedia of Fungi of Britain and Europe, Michael Jordan, 2004