Beiträge von Steve_mt

Pileipellis: two layers (maybe only the upper is the true pellis). The outermost (suprapellis) a trichoderm of interwoven curved/ worm-shaped hyphae, 3-6um wide with rounded apices (very slightly inflated) and several clamp junctions.

Below lies the subpellis composed of wider and shorter hyphae, tubular or cylindrical in shape, with less frequent clamp junctions, 10-15(-17) um wide.

Spores: Pip shaped, subglobular to broadly ovate, heavily waited showing shadow-lines under the x100 oil immersion, apiculum distinct, central, elongated. Germ pore absent, but there is a discontinuous wall at the apiculum (I don't think it can be considered a sa germ pore ?!). Quite variable in size and sometimes shape , few are elongated and longer (+2.5 um above the average length). Inamyloid but wall seems to be dextrinoid.

Spores: Pip shaped, subglobular to broadly ovate, heavily warted showing shadow-lines under the x100 oil immersion, apiculum distinct, central, elongated. Germ pore absent, but there is a discontinuous wall at the apiculum (I don't think it can be considered a sa germ pore?!). Quite variable in size and sometimes shape (few are elongated and longer (+2.5 um above the average).

Cheilocystidia: If I have observed correctly, they are quite indistinct as expected for this genus, cylindrical, sometimes curved, do not stain very well in Congo red, rare. Same size of basidia (maybe I have observed basidiomes). Pleurocystidia not observed (or rare and missed)

Basidia: Rectangular-clavate, with a subtruncate apex, flexuose (curved), many with few to several oil bodies, in my opinion mostly 2-sterigmate, some 3- a few 4- (?), Sterigmata 3 um, horn- shaped, length 23-29 µm.

Basidia: Rectangular-clavate, with a subtruncate apex, flexuose (curved), many with few to several oil bodies, in my opinion mostly 2-sterigmate, some 3- a few 4-(?), sterigmata 3 um, horn-shaped, length 24-29um.

Lamella: Adnate to sub-decurrent, convex, cinnamon brown but it turns purplish-brown when bruised of wettened (eg in mount). I don't know if this is characteristic. Edge indifferent from face.

Dear all, I am very excited about this find. Many mycologist thrived to find the first Cortinarius from Malta. I spent the whole afternoon checking the microscopical features yesterday for a determination, and here i find some suggestions already.

T aste : It was incredibly bitter, I had to spit it out the small nibble I took.

Cuticle: The debris of soil and leaves stuck on the cuticle indicate that it was viscous when young. The stipe seem to be not. The colour was pale yellow, like straw changing to light cinnamon with age... so maybe it was paler when young.

Reactions: Iodine no reaction on cap or flesh; 4% KOH - slow reactions, slightly dark brown with a hint of olive-green hue on cap after 20 mins. Faster reaction with 10% KOH and somewhat more pronounced olive-green hue (tested on drying cap); 4% KOH on flesh gave a pale greyish-beige colour.

Zitat von boccaccio

Hi Stephen,

that smut sounds like an interesting find! I don't have any particular literature on smuts in the Mediterranean area, but a quick Google search revealed that there are at least three rusts on Lygeum. One species of Ustilago that seems to infect the flowers and two species of Tranzscheliella that form like a brown band of spores around the stem of the grass.

Björn

Hello Björn,

I have managed to find two photos of the infected plants but not of the spores and microscopical images. Must be Ustilago according to host specificity. If the infection is persistent, I can fetch samples this April and work on it together. I am under the impression (now I am not so sure!) that there was smuts on a nearby wheat or barley field but it can also be another species. Photos from Gnejna area (mt), 60-80m asl, April 2017.

Zitat von Bergwald

Hi Steve,

that's a "funny" idea. I must try as soon as possible.

Thanks for this information.

Regards

Thomas

Let us know if it works. The principle, although it may sound funny is a logical one - based on the assumption that there are hundreds of shed spores carpeting the hymenium surface. I have not read this technique anywhere, so maybe it does not work so well, but when I try it, I have success. The problem is for very small apothecia - you need a capillary tube then.

That would be the first Cortinarius sp. for the country 😍

Three specimens under Cistus and Thymus. Pileus 5-6cm, pale yellow, dry, though, glabrous-polished (when cleaned from debris), very bitter taste, no volva or ring or veil (at least not distinct), spore print light cinnamon brown, lamella adnate, stem shiny pale brown. Spores pip-shaped, surface rough (bumpy). IKI inamyloid (cell wall appears dextroid?!).

Am I on the right track if I consider Gymnopilus sp. ?

Hi, I often see questions on FB and online fora, asking how to get ascospores out of asci for proper measurement. I have this easy method to share with you which also works on tiny apothecia, even if dirty with soil or debris.

A droplet of water or cotton blue is placed on an upright cupulate or discoid apothecium with a fine-tip dropper. The water is agitated with a needle gently touching the surface. The spores are in suspension of this droplet. This is then transferred on a microscope glass slide and mounted for observation. If the apothecium was dirty with soil, let 10 seconds or more after agitation so that the heavy soil falls down and not sucked by the pipette.

How someone finds it useful

Zitat von mollisia

Hello Steve,

a warm welcome to the forum and hopefully we can contribute to your inventory of the Fungi of Malta. There are some people here familiar with the mediterranean fungus flora.

What concerns this "gall", I have some doubt that it really is fungal. And even more doubt that it originates from the gill edge of this Agaricales. May be this could be a myxomycete?

all the best,

Andreas

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I can confirm that the spherical body was attached and as if part / continuous from the gill. The idea of being a slime mould is possible but personally I don't know of any examples. Also, I would expect some verrucose-spinulose globular spores inside. The myserty continues... Thanks for the warm greeting.

A single specimen on base red calcareous soil in a Thymus / Cistus / Anthyllis garigue in Gozo (mt) was easily determined to be a Psathyrella from the snap-break stipe, chocolate brown spore print and typical spores. It had a faint sweet-almondy scent, cap hygrophanous.

The microfeatures, using my Melzer key (2015) led me to Psathyrella badiophylla, namely lack of pleurocystidia (or very rare), no evident veil, Pileipellis is a nice Hymenoderm of subspherical (sphaero-pedunculate) cells, spores turning dark brown in KOH , possess a central germ pore, and measuring 12-14 um long and plenty of Cheilocystidia in tufts that are quite variable but more or less wide to slender utriform. The stipe, also had tufts of pileocystidia.

I remember encountering this strange gall-like fungus growing from the edge of a lamella of another fungus (Pluteus nanus). Posting so apart sharing for general curiosity, maybe someone had experience with this alien-stuff !

Thanks Sara, Malone and Boccaccio (Bjorn).

Zitat von boccaccio

Hi Stephen,

welcome to the forum! Since you have a background in botany, you might also give phytoparasitic fungi like smut fungi, rust fungi, powdery and downy mildews a try. Usually, the toughest part in identifying these fungi is the correct identification of the host plant which narrrows things down to a few fungi that occur on a given plant genus/species. As phytoparasitic fungi are not the most popular fungi (so far), there is usually a good chance of finding something new and rare and, furthermore, they get all the water they need from their host plants, so no need to wait for rain (which can be rare in Malta I suppose).

Björn

Dear Bjorn, Thanks for the suggestion, I remember thatI found a smuts-type fungus parasitising on a particular native species - Lygeum spartum (maybe I still have the specimen) but I failed to grow the fungus on media after one year from the collection, and I gave up. I see if I have images on my HD and post accordingly. I thought that it got infected from infected wheat close by (20m away). Hope I find the pics!

Thanks

Dear new friends and maybe colleagues,

I am 46 years old, a qualified botanist from Malta (mostly known for my botanical website ) and have been interested in fungi for a couple of years more or less after reading my M.Sc. in botany from Edinburgh. I have now applied for a second M.Sc (research only) to study the fungi growing on the island of Gozo. My tutor is not much acquainted with the subject and unfortunately, I had a mycologist from Eygpt who could not help that much, so now I am basically alone, or well with a wide network of Mycologists on the internet.

I am happy to discover pilzforum.eu, first of all, I adore web fora in comparison with FB social media, and secondly there seem to be a great interest and a l ively connectivity and discussion between members. I have this feeling that I am going to get more than to give to this society but I try to do my best to keep the balance.

My dreams and ambitions are however dull now because I just got the bad news of early offset of hip arthritis so maybe study of f ungi (which require less rough walking and jumping around) may replace botany as my Nature study hobby. We see, at least I need to finish my current studies. I published 3 papers related to fungi and Myxomycetes, a book about Maltese orchids and several papers on the flora of Malta.

Well that's about me and if you are coming to our Islands feel free to contact me.

Best

Stephen Miifsud.

: coffee:

P.s. what is the last key you have in English? Any newer from 2015 ?

hi and tnx Schupfnudel

To remove the doubt I checked more micro features to find the following: No pleuro, spores with evident germ pore, Cheilocystidia in tufts, narrowly utriform with rounded apices, without yellow crystals, 45-75um long. For me this puts the specimen into Psathyrella candolleana or the new (if broadly accepted) genus Candolleomyces.

I used an oldish Melzer key in english update 26/9/15 which was used to be in the great website vielepilze.de and now there are only flowers. Pity that site had gone or maybe it is hosted in another URL ?!> I thought something serious had happened to Andreas so glad to read he is still active on Psathyrellaceae

Many thinks for the link/paper, I try to trace it down

Hmmm .... strange! and my objective was some 700Eur second hand and a good brand.

Maybe the oil cause that discrepancy?!

Interesting and i will try next year sincet this one is hectic. I keep the posts saved. I loove these kind of pets! Cheers and well done

I agree with your opinion and I think what looked like burnt wood are the blackened and rather large sclerotia (?). Also, I had initially excluded this genus because member species tend to grow on acorns and fruit and this was just lying on the ground and apparently terrestrial. The Closest tree to this finding what Laurus nobilis and Ceratonia siliqua (further away) and a number of annual weeds, but oddly enough, there was a naturalized population of Chlorophytum comosum , and maybe the fungus was infecting underground tubers of this Liliaceae.

Anyway, thank you then for the hint!