Mystery Mushroom #9
Ok, here's one for the experts. I recently found this mushroom in my back yard. The gross appearance is of a super-sized bird's nest fungus, with the cup forming the nest and the bumps at the bottom forming the eggs. But this is about an inch and a half across and pretty clearly some kind of Ascomycete. There are two mature specimens in the photo. I dug up the freshest of the two and turned it upside down so you can see how the stem is formed by a group of tube-like structures which diverge at the cap like veins or ribs. The "egg" bumps in the cap form between these ribs. There appear to be two smaller/emerging mushrooms also in the photo, one immediately to the right of the upright mushroom and one just left of top center.
I have found more members of the Helvella and Gyromitra clan this spring than in any previous year. I assume this to be one of them. My best guess is Gyromitra sphaerospora, but I haven't yet found a photo of that mushroom. And the "ribs" appear more regularly spaced than in the photo of G. californica, which is listed as a close West Coast relative. If my guess is correct, identity might be confirmed by microscopic examination of the spores. Anybody want to have a go at it? Please leave a comment.
Dave
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Interesting Fungi
Dave:
There are two-three genera that pop into my mind when looking at this photograph--trust me--it does not mean any of them are correct. The more papers I grade and the more times I teach Mitosis and Meiosis, and other basic biological concepts, it seems the more confusing the identification of fungi becomes for me--because I have less time to look at fungi.
The first is Paxina. Paxina will have smooth ascospores globose to subglobose--any chance you looked at the ascospores? The other thing that Paxina will have is the veined stalk that you show so nicely in your photograph. One widespread species is P. acetabulum but I need to know the scale at which your photograph was taken to estimate size in any way shape or form..throw a dime or ruler down for scale as you take excellent photographs! However, I do not recall seeing the fertile layer being as lobed in Paxina as it is in your photograrph--so it does not match in that regard.
The other genus that comes to mind is Discina. Discina can have a very lobed fertile layer and a folded or pitted stalk similar to what you exhibit so nicely in your photograph. The ascospres of Discina are very distinct and have all sorts of wild appendages on them--actually they are fun to look at. Did you save the specimen? If a Discina--what a great find and specimen to look at spores from.
The last genus that comes to mind is Disciotis--it is usually much more veined than lobed as in your picture and species in this genus can have a very chlorine smell. It also has a stalk, although, I think it is much shorter than the one you have illustrated in your photograph.
The stalk is going to be an important character in keying this out. It also would be very helpful to photograph and describe the ascospores--arrangement of spores, and other microscopic characters. I know you have been culturing things--did you try and get a culture of it growing?
I never have collected any of the genera that I listed today--I had a lab years back at Southern Illinois University--and I looked at dried specimens and ascospores and memorized a few names in a mycology class---but I remember the stalked nature of these genera and that is what is standing out to me. I think having a stalk is characteristic of the families Hellvellaceae and Morchellaceae, where older texts place the genera I mentioned. I am not sure where modern molecular data places these genera. Once we get a positive ID--it would be fun to research this. That is what forays and collecting does--keeps you current. Love all your hard work in the club gathering specimens and photographs as it gets me thinking--sorry to think out loud.
I hoped you saved the specimen...I would love to look at it under the microscope at our upcoming foray--and do some macrochemical tests and use melzers and some different stains. I would love to see the ascospores. Keying cup fungi is difficult as there are not many field guides--I wish there were. If we can get it to a family or genus--we should not have a problem keying it out.
Sorry for the long drawn out response--just thinking out loud--trying to find a way to ID this fungus for you..based on my limited experience with this group.
Barrie