Friday 25 December 2020

The Oak Curtain Crust, Hymenochaete rubiginosa, probably

Hymenochaete rubiginosa, (Dicks.) Lév.

This crust is smaller than I thought, at least the small cap structures of this specimen! I rather think this is a fairly old specimen, as it seems very dark on the underside, the hymenial surface. The pin is about 10 mm across.


The resupinate form may perhaps be seen to the left of the caps?


Kibby states that the fruitbody is partly sessile to bracket-like and this caps are I think intermediate between these extremes. He also has them often fused in rows, which these are not, but I would say that the upper surface is "characteristically undulating". The caps are very dark, Kibby having them as red-brown to blackish, with reddish or ochre (?) marginal zones.

When young the hymenial surface could be a much brighter colour, perhaps reddish ochre to rust red, but if I am correct, by now it is a very dark brown. 

It would definitely be worth looking with a hand-lens for the projecting hymenial setae on this species, as they should be made more conspicuous because of their dark brown colour.   


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