Variable Oysterling in its widest sense, Crepidotus variabilis, s.l.

 

Typically on a relatively small twig, microscopy needed to tie the species down any further.

Possibly Trechispora mollusca on fallen Spruce at Glocaenog Forest

 

This is a bit of a guess, its simply the limited number of whitish poroid resupinates on this host species, as well as the appearance of the pores, which superficially resemble some of the online images of older crusts that I have seen. 

Trichaptum abietinum, the purplepore bracket, on a spruce log.

At Bod Petryal, Glocaenog Forest, Denbighshire. On a fallen conifer trunk, presumed to be Spruce, were a series of small thin caps, running along the trunk in loose tiers which turned out to be, almost certainly, Trichaptum abietinum. On closer examination the purple colours on the underside and edges of the caps were quite obvious, so on Spruce this is a very probable outcome. There are two other species of Trichaptum on conifers, but both are so rare in the UK that I am therefore discounting them, although T. fuscoviolaceum would be the next most likely. 

This is a very common saprophyte on fallen timber and stumps. The purple tends to fade as the annual brackets age, leaving the light brown as the dominant colour of the caps. Some caps appear more whitish above, most likely due to age and condition. At the same time the pores tend to become jagged and toothlike, rather breaking up, and this is the more normal condition. In the images below the lower tiers of brackets show most purple tinging, which seems to be associated with the pale edging visible.

The caps are slightly fuzzy above, and algae do tend to accumulate there near the base where the fuzziness tends to be most obvious, as seen below.

The colour of the cut branch stub on the right is unexplained.

Skeletocutis amorpha, on Pine, sometimes known as the Rusty Crust

 

At Bod Petryal, Glocaenog Forest. 

I was very pleased to find this attractive semi-pileate fungus on a large felled Pine trunk to the south of the small lake. The tubes are pinkish, but they end in white pores. There are orange tinges as well, especially on the underside and in the flesh. This all points to Skeletocutis amorpha, a target of mine to find. There are surprisingly few records of it in Europe, including in the UK.

Steccherinum ochraceum at Dene Park

 I think this is one of my favourite crusts, Steccherinum ochraceum, with its crowds of blunt(ish) "spikes" up to 1 mm or so tall on its quite distinctive salmon-coloured surface. These particular fruiting bodies appeared more brightly coloured than I have seen them before, so I couldn't resist posting. The initially obvious patch margins appear to start off beautifully white and fluffy but I think soon change to a discoloured slightly rind-like surface as they roll up away from the surface. The fruiting bodies can be easily separated from the wood substrate beneath, leaving little sign of the presumed mycelial structures beneath. I just sacrificed one small patch to test this, as it's said to be not that common, especially beyond our southeast corner of England. Multiple fruiting bodies along one small fallen oak branch, on my local PAWS site near Tonbridge today.

The Jelly Tooth or Jelly Tongue, Pseudohydnum gelationosum, at Hemsted Forest

 

What a great day with Kent Field Club at Hemsted Forest.

I have borrowed Phil Ambler's photos for this post, as mine were rubbish - I hope he doesn't mind! Notice the "flesh colour" (seen once it matures) and the very rubbery nature of the cap.

The Jelly Tongue is shaped a bit like a  bracket and belongs to the Exidiacea. The description of this family from the Collins' photographic guide follows:

"members of the family Exidiaceae are gelatinous or jelly fungi in varied irregular shapes and rather dull colours. They are generally associated with dead wood, both standing and fallen. Some are host specific. Like most jelly fungi, they are generally only conspicuous in wet weather and when dry, shrivel to a hard thin membrane. They rehydrate rapidly, revive and swell to resume growth and spore production. Accordingly they can be found at any time of year. The spore colour is white.! 

Could this be Xylaria longipes or NOT ........? NOT.

 

Of course when I went past these, I immediately thought Candle-snuff fungus, Xylaria polymorpha.

However, there are those hints of pink tips, the solitary nature of the slender curving fruiting bodies, and perhaps the otNOT her fungal species, the mould growing over the fruiting bodies. All these are hints towards Xylaria longipes. But they are growing on one of the ancient Hornbeam coppards along the old woodbank. Could it be......? 

Trichaptum abietinum on Spruce or Pine, revisieted in January

 

On a small dead conifer that looked like a Spruce, by the side of the footpath, there were multiple semi-pileate crusts of Trichaptum abietinum, a new species for me that is probably long overdue. The crusts are annual and probably were only fresh last year or even in a previous year. The remains of the pore structure now resemble a slightly purplish mesh.     

Here are the caps running along the underside of the dead branches, the abhymenial surfaces. 

And here are the rather old adhymenial surfaces

I revisited in January 2025, on the 18th. Although this still looks like Spruce the host could be the 2-needled Pine regularly planted close-by. 

This is a better image of the crust underside, fresher I think. The shallowness of the pores together with the colour and habitat is fairly diagnostic down to the genus Trichaptum at least.

However, the abhymenial sides of the brackets are still looking pale, stale and collecting algae:

Dene Park crusts

 

This is a beauty - but is it a Polypore or a sort of wrinkled crust?

A close-up of the surface, sharpened in Topaz,

Inonotus radiatus at the Farm Shop

 I walked over to a line of Alders with one noticeably struggling tree in the middle of the line, and indeed there were multiple early fruiting bodies of Inonotus radiatus, (Mensularia radiata) the Alder Bracket, "lumpily" resupinate and quite velvety at this stage, apricot or tan coloured, with limited pore development, the basidiomes forming the typical "ladder" feature up the trunk. The trunk was already splitting and lifting.

The basidiomes are not above head height, and still quite young for the season - somewhat different to the NatureSpot website in these particulars.

Coniophora puteana or arida possibly?

So on one branch my eye was drawn to a few small ovals of white fringes, each about an inch long, which it turned out appeared to be surrounding some thin dark brownish-grey oval crusts. 

With this unusual colour combination, perhaps these represent early development of a Coniophora species crusts, perhaps Coniophora puteana, a common cause of wet rot, or perhaps another species such as Coniophora arida? These and others are found in the south of England, so both are possibles. That's all I can think of, anyway!

Hapalopilus nitidans, the Cinnamon Bracket or Tender Nesting Polypore.

The UK's only toxic polypore - and it is HIGHLY toxic with a very high content of polyporic acid.

While with the Kent Field club group, we found a very lovely looking triangular bracket fungus on a small dying or dead tree. I would describe the form as "stepped". I tentatively identified the host as a Rowan or Sorbus tree and somebody who I think must have seen this bracket fungus before, tried putting some potassium hydroxide, KOH, on it. It almost immediately turned a bright violet colour suggesting that it was the toxic cinnamon bracket. Hapalopilus nidulans, a very difficult name to spell. I was pleased to say that Lassoe and Peterson also consider it quite commonly found on Sorbus. However, other sources just give it as found on mixed deciduous trees or possibly Oak and Birch. It was a delightful colour and an interesting texture on the top surface. All the factors seem to fit, so a nice step forward in bracket identification for me.

Also referred to as Hapalopilus rutilans, it might be rather commoner in Europe, but is said to be only occasional in the UK. Records in the UK seem to fairly evenly distributed north to south. This is an annual polypore bracket, breaking down to a rather dusty debris. However, these 2 or 3 brackets were quite fresh.

Note the texture of the top surface, sometimes likened to suede. The top is said to be flat to slightly convex, the overall texture of the bracket soft.

Said to be typically "triangular" in shape.

The pores are quite coarse and strongly delimited in appearance. 2 - 3 per mm. Tubes reportedly up to 1 cm deep, spore print white. There is a fairly clear margin to the underside, extended rollover in the later stages.

The Deathcap Amanita phalloides, the False Deathcap Amanita citrina and the Jewelled Amanita, Amanita gemmata.

 

Amanita phalloides, Amanita citrina and Amanata gemmata

The Deathcap is a relatively large and highly toxic mushroom. It tends to be greenish or yellowish and to lose the veil remnants quite quickly, leaving the cap smooth and a little shiny. The stipe is fundamentally white, but substantially mottled with patches of the cap colour below the ring which quickly vanishes. The Volva rather obvious and persistent. Not really common, but more frequent in the south. Associated with Oak and Beech. Possibly a sickly-sweet smell? There is a white form.

This one doesn't show all the features because it has been quite badly nibbled.

No mucking around with this killer.

  

I have been shown the False Deathcap several times before, and I would agree that it is an excellent "learner" mushroom, but it is still a bit tricky for me.

I contrast the true Deathcap above with this False Deathcap, a very whitish Amanita with a bulb showing the rim of a volva, a persistent pendulous ring on the stipe and whitish veil-remnant patches on the cap. Closer examination should show a slight lemon-yellow tinge and perhaps the odour of raw potato - or possibly radish? 

There is a white form.

Its quite poisonous, so still no mucking about with this one either!  

This Jewelled Amanita was one Phil showed me last week at Hallswood, possibly slightly less poisonous, 

The cap is a more obvious creamy yellow, with whitish veil-remnants that can eventually disappear finally leaving a smooth cap. The stem should be fibrillose below the rapidly vanishing ring, smooth above, and remnants of the volva should be visible around the bulb. The cap margin should be slightly striate. contrasting 

Buczacki suggests that the flesh should have a slight yellowish tinge, but I cannot see it in this image.

Still not eating it!

Junghuhnia (Steccherinum) nitidum or just possibly lacera?

Slightly more lacerate than usual, but not a British species I think. Impossible to resolve without measuring the spores under a microscope, but I should have tried to measure the pore density at least.

Stereum rameale or Chondrostereum purpureum perhaps?

 Found on a small fallen branch about 15 - 20 mm thick. Each cushion with a darker central hub, highly shaggy on the reverse side, often curled up to form a one sided cap. Fertile surface cracked so could be old and decrepit maybe?

I am completely stumped within Stereum as a genus. The fertile surfaces look like photos on the internet named as "Stereum rameale" but the shagginess is completely out, a much longer pile than Stereum hirsutum, supposedly the hairiest one in the genus. Only thing I can think of that is quite this shaggy is Silverleaf, Chondrostereum purpureum, perhaps old cushions from last season, so that all the purple has been long ago washed out? 

Wet Rot, maybe

I think this must be the very young stage of Coniophora puteana or one of its close relatives. There is no colour in the centre, but the texture is very reminiscent of this species, coupled with the furry nature of the edges, the fine white extensions. Interesting to think what these might be for, evolutionarily? Would I be able to find this log again? Very doubtful.

Elfin Saddle, Helvella lacunosa

 

Someone in the Kent Field Club group pointed this out to the rest of us, a remarkable Ascomycete fungus.

The fruiting surface is smooth on the upper surface, a little furry beneath. It fuses with the strongly furrowed stalk in several places. Perhaps found in woodland or woodland clearings, perhaps on richer soil, sometimes on fire sites, but I didn't think to look closely at this site. Possibly mycorrhizal. Could well be a species complex.

Anamorph: not known.
Teleomorph: stromata absent. Ascomata large, discomycetous, stipitate. Cap 1.5-5 cm diam., regularly saddle-shaped with 2-3 lobes or irregularly lobed, strongly convex, the margin attached in some places to the stipe. Hymenium pale greyish to greyish-brown to black, very often wrinkled towards the centre, the outer surface of the cap glabrous, pale greyish to grey-brown, sometimes with indistinct, anastomosing shallow ribs. Stipe 1.5-5(-12) cm high, 5-15 mm diam., glabrous, pale greyish to greyish-brown to nearly black, mostly paler near the base with deep furrows, the ribs sharp-edged, sometimes double-edged, irregular, anastomosing, the inside of the stipe with longitudinal chambers. Outer excipulum of angular to prismatic cells, 55-110 µm thick, the outermost cells clavate, hyaline or with brownish walls, 12-30 x 6-15 µm in size. Medulla (below hymenium) of intertwined hyphae, 225-350 µm thick, the hyphae 3-4 µm diam., sometimes mixed with broader deeply staining hyphae. Interascal tissue of unbranched paraphyses 4-7 µm diam., nearly hyaline or dark brownish. Asci 290-355 x 13-16 µm. Ascospores 15-19 x 9.5-12 µm in size.

Bjerkandera adusta

 

The Smoky Bracket, Bjerkandera adusta, is a very common fungus, which can be found in a fully prostrate form (effused), as well as as, perhaps much more commonly, caps (reflexed).

It should always be pressed on the pore surface to see if it darkens upon pressure. Also cross-sectioning the tissue should reveal the grey pore layer contrasting well with the white flesh. Bjerkandera fumosa has lighter coloured pores, separated from the white flesh by a dark line.

Today, there were a number of individual fruiting bodies, mostly resupinate, on fallen branches of Oak in the first Oak compartment to the north of the car park at Dene Park. 

There was evidence I think of the very yellowed flesh of previous fruiting bodies below and behind the current ones, and some slightly yellowed flesh of the current brackets visible in the gaps of the larger fruiting bodies seen here. Some clear and some cloudy liquid droplets on this lower surfaces. In some places the flesh is reflexed to start cap formation, although why is less clear. However, compare with the possibly more developed complex fruiting bodies seen at Dunorlan Park on the 5th November, 2011.

This other large resupinate fruiting body appears to show more small developing caps, and also maybe  a couple of patches of the pore surface darkened by pressure.

 

Here the fungus has used a leaf as support to produce a thin resupinate structure quickly and easily.

Here is an old cap, decaying, brown and fibrous.

And here is a Springtail, possibly Tomocerus vulgaris!

Biscogniauxia nummularia - Beech Tar Crust or Charcoal Canker

 

I think this is most likely to be Biscogniauxia. Stated to be a significant parasite of Fagus sylvatica if the environmental conditions stress the tree in various ways - increasing risk drought is perceived as a bit of a worry for European Beech in Southeast England.

This is a section of dead hardwood in the trunk of one of these trees to the east of the main track from the car park at Dene Park. The fruiting body "erupts" through the bark nicely.

Are there any clues to why this bark appears dead in this image here? There is good evidence that these species occur in healthy living trees as endophytes and then become invasive under water stress conditions. Could the initial carving have possibly caused this overall wound that allowed a strip canker to get to work, and we are now seeing the results as the fruiting bodies appearing, perhaps later through the letters themselves?

Here, these fruiting bodies are just appearing recently on the heartwood of this large branch on the ground that tore away from the trunk maybe a couple of years ago. 

The species used to be known as Hypoxylon nummularium: this should now always be known as Biscogniauxia nummularia (Bull.) Kuntze. This genus is distinguished from Hypoxylon principally in lacking coloured stromatal pigments and in having an initial covering layer, lost at maturity, which bears conidia. Many species have effused and flattened rather than pulvinate stromata.

Biscogniauxia atropunctata is a saprophyte and parasite affecting oaks east of the rocky mountains, It starts as a blue-white fruiting crust with tiny black pimples, eventually darkening to black patches on dead and dying wood.

Biscogniauxia mediterranea is well known as the causative agent of charcoal canker in cork oak and is a serious problem in Portugal.

Biscogniauxia rosacearum may possibly be one of the main fungi that feed on grape vines and almonds.

Biscogniauxia species that produce interesting secondary metabolites can also be found in deep sea sub-floor sediments!

Arcycria denudata possibly

Picking up a fallen branch from the leaf litter, I eventually spotted a few brick-red slime mould fruiting bodies, which might be the relatively common Arcyria denudata, purely on the basis of colour and probability. Microscopy would be needed for a reliable identification. I might be able to find the branch again, to see if the condition of the fruiting bodies has improved at all following the freezing conditions over the past week.

Skeletocutis nivea sl perhaps

 

This seems a likely candidate because: 

The pores are tiny and very close together, about 7 - 10 per mm. only just visible in the image

the crust is relatively thin, with pores probably less than 2 mm deep

The pores can be found very close to the edge of the hymenium

A very pale colour, only just lightly browning with age

The margins are turning up - just - in this case

So if you didn't look closely, this specimen could perhaps be confused on first view with either Byssomerulius corium or even Stereum rameale?

The correct name could perhaps be Skeletocutis semipileata or nemoralis, depending on which author you follow!