Untitled - The British Mycological Society

Hello one and all, and welcome to the first Newsletter of the recently re-formed Glamorgan Fungus
Group. It is intended to publish our newsletters 3-4 times per year, following the seasons with appropriate
content, and collecting articles from our members. So if you have any ideas for future articles please get
in touch!
We would like to thank the individuals who ran the previous Group for their sterling work and for
allowing us to continue under the tried and tested name. Also many thanks to the British Mycological
Society for their help and support during the set up of the group.
We held an initial meeting on 11th January, with a fantastic turn out. Over the course of the afternoon
we established the outline of the groups activities and it’s aims and officers. This is what we have come
up with :
Aims of the Group •To record the fungi of Glamorgan (Vice County 41)
•To encourage an interest in the importance of fungi in everyday life, wherever possible.
•To develop a greater understanding of fungi through forays, talks and workshops open to members
of the group and also the public.
•To increase the awareness of fungi through contact with local members of professional and amateur
groups which have environmental interests.
•To promote the conservation of fungi and threatened habitats of rare fungi.
Membership –
•Is open to anyone with an interest in Fungi.
•Cost - £5.00 per annum.
•If you join before the 2014 AGM , this will cover membership until April 2015.
•We are still waiting for our bank account to be opened, once we have this facility we will be issuing
membership forms via email.
Officers •Chairperson: •Secretary: •Vice-Secretary: •Treasurer: •Recorder: Rich Wright
Mike Bright
Mark Steer
Sasha Ufnowska
Susie Allen
Contact - Please contact the Group by email : glamorganfungi@gmail.com
Meetings and Forays 2014 Annual General Meeting
Saturday 12th April 2pm, Coed Hills, Near St. Hilary, Cowbridge, CF71 7DP
Foray at Merthyr Mawr
Bridgend
Sunday 11th May, start 9.30am from Car park, Candleston Castle SS871 771. – Car Park £2.50
Foray at Taf Fechan Nature Reserve
Merthyr Tydfil
Saturday September 6th - meeting point TBC
Foray at Oldcastle Down and Alun Valley
Vale of Glamorgan
Sunday 5th October, Meet at Fox & Hounds Car Park St Brides Major (CF32 0SD) at 09:30
Foray at Penllergare Valley Woods
Swansea
Saturday November 1st – Details TBC
In addition there maybe other Forays organised on an ad hoc basis through the year – please keep
your contact details up dated so that you can be informed of these events, or join the Facebook Group
at https://www.facebook.com/groups/GlamorganFungusGroup/
Resources You can never have too many books on fungi to help develop your interest!
Here are a few good starting points for easy to access field guides :
Roger Phillips, Mushrooms and other Fungi of Great Britain and Europe, published 2006
Sterry and Hughes, Collins Complete Guide to British Mushrooms and Toadstools, published 2009
Michael Jordan, The Encyclopedia of Fungi of Britain and Europe , revised edition published 2004
Pat O’Reilly, Fascinated by Fungi, published 2013
R. Courtecuisse, Collins Field Guide - Mushrooms and Toadstools, published 1993
Once you’ve got to grips with some of these, you will need more detailed books and monographs
such as Geoffrey Kibby’s excellent British Boletes and other titles. Advice on these more specialised
books can be obtained from our more experienced members.
Websites There are many websites dedicated to fungi, here is a small selection of useful sites :
British Mycological Society: www.britmycosoc.org.uk
Association of British Fungus Groups: www.abfg.org
iSpot (Open University): www.ispotnature.org
MycoKey: www.mycokey.com
Ascofrance : www.ascofrance.com
Aberystwyth University – Waxcaps: www.aber.ac.uk/waxcap
FRDBI :
www.fieldmycology.net/FRDBI/FRDBI.asp
Foraging for Fungi WARNING!
The Glamorgan Fungi Group will not be held responsible to Members and other individuals who eat
fungi whether or not they have been identified by Members of the Group.
Certain fungi are highly poisonous others may cause gastric upsets and individuals may exhibit
negative effects from fungi that are generally considered safe to eat.
In addition there are a number of fungi that are classified as Class A drugs under the Misuse of Drugs
Act 2005 that should not be collected under any circumstances.
As a Group we would ask Members to abide by the Code of Conduct for Fungi Foraging issued by the
British Mycological Society and not pass on information about locations of fungi to other individuals
who may not follow this Code of Conduct.
This code of conduct can be found as part of the group membership pack.
Tips on basic information needed to identify Fungi by Mark Steer
I think this will be an ongoing topic in future Newsletters but I hope to give some advice aimed at
beginners in the first instance. Those with more experience, please feel free to comment and help
with future items!
My advice covers the more familiar Agarics and Boletes – Fungi/Mushrooms/Toadstools that have
a cap, gills or pores and (mainly) stem. You will need books and websites to help – see above. Also
going out on Forays with more experienced people is a great way to learn. The more information that
you can observe/record the better but don’t worry if you can’t record everything:
DATE, location (6 figure OS reference if possible), weather conditions and name of Recorder.
HABITAT – woodland, grassland, garden, or other.
Soil type, acid, neutral,alkaline.
Growing on soil, leaf litter,dead or live tree – note the species.
Tree types around.
Singular, groups or tufts (joined at the base).
PHOTOS – cap, gills/pores, stem.
CAP – size, shape, colour, texture.
STEM/STIPE – size, shape, colour, texture and how is attached to what it is growing on.
RING – is ring present on stem, shape, colour, texture and is it movable.
GILLS/PORES – colour, shape, close together, far apart, brittle, forked, attached to stem.
FLESH (usually only seen with cross section) – colour, texture and thickness.
SPORE PRINT - colour. Not so difficult – take fresh cap with stem cut off and put gill/pore side down on
small piece of white paper on saucer, put a drop of water on top and cover. Leave over night and you
may have spore print!
SMELL – particularly when bruised.
TASTE – best left until you have more experience or with guidance from others with experience.
Hopefully this will help you with your Fungi identification but this is only a start – chemical tests and
microscopy are extremely important and may be covered in future Newsletters. Also words to describe
the above as used by Mycologists maybe a bit daunting at first but are necessary to advance your
skills.
My Favourite Fungus
by Rudi Bright
In this edition young naturalist Rudi Bright gives us the lowdown on his favourite fungi - Auricularia
auricular-judae (Commonly known as the Jews Ear, Jelly Ear or Wood Ear)
First Encounter…….
I saw my first Jelly Ear about 3 years ago at my local
woods, Coed-Y-Bwl which is mainly known for its
springtime display of wild daffodils. Just as you enter
the woods there is an old Elder tree and it was covered
with about 20 Jelly Ears, some were high up but I could
touch the ones lower down, they were really soft and
weird. The wood is a nature reserve and I help out
volunteering there most weekends and the first thing
I do when I get there is check out the Elder tree to see
how the Jelly Ears are doing.
Why so special…….
This is easy to answer, it’s because they look and feel like
ears. I don’t know anybody who wouldn’t be impressed
with strange jelly like ears growing out of a tree They
are like something out of Harry Potter. You can even eat
them (although they are not one of my favourite fungi
to eat a bit too ear like for me).
Tell us more…….
Its old name is Jew’s Ear and it got this from some old Christian
folklore. It was supposed to be a reminder of Judas Escariot who
betrayed Jesus and then felt guilty and hung himself from an
Elder tree. The tale goes that when Judas was alive the Elder tree
was as mighty as an Oak but God changed it into a worthless
bush where weird ears grow to remind us of Judas’s shame. I
actually quite like Elder trees, especially ones with EARS growing
out of them.
Fungi and Folk - The Birch Polypore by Mike Bright
Time to take a closer look at mans relationship
with fungi...
In this edition of the newsletter we take a
closer look at one of the commonest bracket
fungi in Britain, Piptoporus betulinus. As
with all good Latin names it gives us a bit of
general background info 1. “porus” to have
pores 2. “Pipit” from piptein which means
‘to fall’ describing the fact that the bracket is
detachable and will easily fall off the tree and 3.
‘betulinus’ which means of Birch trees.
This is all very well for those fluent in Latin but this woodland wonder also obliges by having equally
descriptive common names like Birch Polypore and the Birch Bracket which do a great job of letting
you know that it’s a bracket fungi that you are likely to find on Birch trees. The other common name for
this beautiful bracket is the Razor Strop Fungus, nothing to do with stroppy razors but it does give you
a clue as to why this fleshy fungus is a favourite for many bushcraft enthusiasts.
If you are walking through Birch woods you should have no problem tracking down these soft fleshy
half moons but why would you want to?
Young specimens are said to be edible, particularly if your taste buds have a hankering for something
bitter and tough as old boots! Not really my cup of tea but this fungi has more to offer than most and
has proved popular with man throughout the ages.
Mr Otzi the Ice Man seemed to know that this fungus was something special. Otzi is a 5,000 year old
mummy (preserved human body, not the carer of a small child) who was discovered slowly emerging
from the melting ice of the Schnalstal Glacier on the border between Italy and Austria. As Otzi
emerged from his deep freeze he demonstrated that 5,000 years ago the ‘bling’ of choice for any self
respecting wild man was a necklace threaded with chunks of Piptoporus betilinnus!!
Being frozen for 5,000 years did nothing for Otzi’s communication skills so unfortunately we don’t
really know why he was wearing the humble Birch Polypore around his neck. Maybe it was a religious
symbol but I like to believe that Otzi was more of a practical man, an old world version of Ray Mears.
Maybe he carried it with him to make use of it as tinder, the dried pieces are well known as a natural
fire lighter capable of catching a spark from a flint. It’s also thought that this fungus was used to
transport fire from camp to camp. After catching a flame it would slowly smoulder as the tribe crossed
the land and was then fanned back into action upon arrival at the new camp. Or maybe Otzi was
more of a medicinal mushroom man and carried it with him to make use of its anti-inflammatory,
anaesthetic and antibiotic properties. Strips of the fungi are believed to have been used to dress
wounds and reduce inflammation, you tube is jam packed with videos showing you how to make
Birch Polypore plasters. The fungus contains the antibiotic Piptamine which may also have helped
to prevent infection of wounds. Rumbley tummy? Got a problem with the old parasitic whip worm
Trichuris trichiura? Chew on a chunk of Birch Polypore and problem solved (after a short period of
intense bowel activity).
Due to the size of the pieces of the fungus on Otzi’s necklace it’s unlikely that he took advantage of
its other well known use as a razor strop. Barbers used dried out strips of it to put a fine edge on their
razor blades not much use to Otzi, we all know that 5,000 years ago long hair and bushy beards were
all the rage!!
Fungi Interactions - Artists Bracket (Ganoderma applanatum)
Fungi have some incredibly weird shapes
and forms all of their own, but when
combined with gall causing insects like
the Yellow Flat-footed Platypezid Fly
(Agathomyia wankowiczii), the effects can
be quite spectacular.
The midge lays it’s eggs on the underside
(hymenium) of the bracket, forming galls
in which the larvae mature.
Artist’s Bracket covered in galls
Scarlet Elfcups - Sarcoscypha sp.
by Rich Wright
The Scarlet Elf Cups (Sarcoscypha sp.) have to be one of the most eye catching spring fungi on the
woodland floor. Their bright red cups (apothecia) cling to the sticks and smaller woody debris, lighting
up amongst the mosses, in damper areas through late winter and spring.
We had a great adventure looking for ‘Spring Elves’ with a good friend Russel and his young daughter,
Evren, who made up songs for us while we searched. We only managed to find the red cups that the
Elves had been waiting in all winter, but these were magic enough for Evren!
They are an edible species, although they lack any strong flavour of their own, and are probably best
left to be enjoyed where they are.
They are a member of the division
Ascomycota, a distinct separation in
the Kingdom of fungi, in which the
fruiting bodies (sporocarps) do not grow
gills from which to drop their spores
(Basidiomycota), but instead fire spores
from microscopic structures called asci
which, in this case, are kept on the bright
red inner surface of the cup (apothecia).
These asci contain 8 ascospores each. They occur in
many shapes and sizes particular to each species.
There are 2 known members of this genus in the UK (Spooner, Larger Cup Fungi pt.4, 2002), and these
are very difficult to tell apart, other than by microscopic identification. These are Sarcoscypha coccinea
and S.austriaca. The former was at one time considered to be the only UK species, with most field
guides only covering this species, but in recent years this has changed greatly with records showing
this to now be the rarer of the two. There are several other similar European species.
So last year, I set about finding out which species was present here at Coed Hills. Based on the plant
communities and host specificity outlined by H.O. Baral and Tübingen in 2004, and the few records on
the NBN gateway, I was leaning on the side of S.coccinea.
The areas of wood where they are found, is prodominatly
Ash (Fraxinus excelsior) mixed with Wych Elm (Ulmus
glabra), with a ground cover of Ramsons (Allium ursinum)
and Lesser Celendine (Ranunculus ficaria). It’s hard to tell
which dead branches they are growing on, as they are well
rotted and covered in moss. Based on their locality to the
trees they could have come from, I think they are growing
on both Ash and Wych Elm. This would fit the habitat for
S.coccinea according to this information.
Margin close up of S.austriaca
So with a few fresh samples from this years flush, I have worked through the microscopic and
macroscopic identification. In the field a useful feature is the very edge (margin) of the apothecia (see
details here), which in S.coccinea has a fine hairy - comb tooth like surface, and in S.austriaca is more
complete, or unevenly thick ridged. My specimen was already starting to look like the more common
S.austriaca.
excipular hairs of S.austriaca
The next thing to check is the microscopic hairs that form on the outside surface (excipulum) of the
apothecia. Using a scarp scalpel or razor blade a shallow 2mm scrape of the tissue is taken and placed
on microscope slide. This is then divided into smaller portions, then a drop of water (or suitable stain)
is added, before gently squashing the material under the cover slip using the rubber on the end
of a pencil. When viewed under a high power biological microscope (x100 – x400) the hairs can be
seen clearly on the outer edge of the squashed material. In S.conccinea these hairs are slightly wavy
(sinuous) to straight, but in S.austriaca they are curly or coiled like silly string……..just like mine.
The final thing to check is the ascospores,
particularly looking at the ends of the spores, and
making sure to look at a good selection as they
are quite variable. In S.coccinea the spores have
rounded ends (see here), where as in S.austriaca
the ends can be rounded, flattened (truncate) or
notched.
So with all my data gathered it’s clear that the
species we have here is S.austriaca.
A spore of S.austriaca showing the truncate
(flattened) ends.
Earler this year, Mike Bright sent me 2 samples of Scarlet Elfcups from Coed-Y-Bwl. To my delight they
have turned out to be the elusive S.coccinea.
Spores of S.coccinea with rounded ends
Straight and wavy hairs on the exciplum
of S.coccinea
Finely toothed edge of the apothecia
of S.coccinea
With both side by side there are subtle differences that I can tell apart by eye. The exiplum (outside of
the cup) of S.coccinea is paler than that of S.austriaca. The margin of the apothecia (the cup) is nobbly
like the parapet of a ruined castle in S.austriaca, but has a finely toothed structure in S.coccinea.
Whether either of these characters would work every time is hard to say, but combined with
microscopic features, in this case the difference is clear.
The volunteer warden at Coed-Y-Bwl had this to add about our find :
“Thanks for the info. on Coed-y-Bwl’s Elf Cups. It’s nice to know we have another positive ID on this
rather scarce species. I have always regarded the Scarlet Elf Cup in the Alun Valley as Sarcoscypha
coccenia - not knowing its relative rarity. As far back as the 1980’s on surveys at Coed-y-Bwl, Mary
Gillham identified the Elf Cup as S. coccinea. I have no records of who (and when) made the original
ID - but there is reference to this species in her book Limestone Downs of Glamorgan(in a chapter on
Coed-y-Bwl).Also, in a chapter on the Fungi of Glamorgan (Glamorgan County Natural History, Vol 1
1936) there is an extensive list of the old county’s fungi which includes Sarcoscypha coccinea. “
I’d be very interested to find out how many of the old records for the Vice County of Glamorgan are
accurate, and if the previous records of S.coccinea are incorrectly identified in some places.
So I propose an on going project for the new Glamorgan Fungus Group, to tidy up and expand on
the existing records for these two species, and to see if in fact we do have the elusive Sarcoscypha
coccinea here in Glamorgan. If you have a microscope you should try the simple identification
methods laid out above, and then send your findings to the group email list. If you don’t have access
to a microscope and know of site where they grow email it to the list, or post a well wrapped specimen
to me (address available on request).
Happy hunting!
Members input to future Newsletters We hope you’ve enjoyed this first issue! Please feel free to comment on this Newsletter, contribute
items and photos or suggest areas you think could be added to future editions.
This is YOUR Newsletter!
Members Photos -
Cobalt Crust - Terana caerulea - by Graham Cox
Fluted Bird’s Nest - Cyathus striatus - by Rich Wright
Glistening Inkcap (Coprinellus micaceus) - by Mike Bright
Design by Rich Wright