b-rodd's Favourites

Habitat Description: On dead conifer
Fruit Body Abundance: Several dozen maybe more on this one downed tree

Odor:
Taste:

Chemical Tests:

Other Distinctive Features:

Microscopy:
Spores:
(6.3) 6.8 - 8 (8.3) × (3.6) 3.61 - 4.8 (4.9) µm
Q = (1.3) 1.6 - 2 ; N = 9
Me = 7.2 × 4.2 µm ; Qe = 1.7

Found this today growing in scat, specifically on bird feathers within the scat. I don’t believe they were growing on fur but I will verify. Jacob Pulk suggested genus Onygena! I want to call it Onygena corvina, the feather stalkball, but the only occurrences I see here on iNat are on the West Coast. On the East Coast, the only Onygena I see are growing on horn, hoof, or one occurrence on a decaying crayfish! I saved the specimen. Update: I pulled tiny feather shafts out from the clump that some of the mushrooms were growing on. I did not see any that were growing on fur, they all looked to be attached to small feather shafts to me. The last three pictures shows the substrate in detail.

Micro will come. Crust of waxy and warty aspect. On unknown hardwood branch, near brook. Spores 4.9-6.1-7.9 x 2.7-3.7-4 um. Q: 1.3,1.8, 2, 2.2, 2.5. The marked contrast comes from the fact that there are small spores and large ones. Most of them are of medium size. Crust is thick and thins out towards margin which becomes white in some areas. Exerted cystidia subulate 12.3 x 54 um. Basidioles have a clamp at base; unable to see a basidium. One mysterious capitate cystidium seen 7.4 x 40 um. In Annarosa Bernicchia's book she says that P. ochraceofulva has wider spores thicker subhyemnium than P. subochracea, both characters are present here. Some other sources suggest that perhaps they are in synonymity.

Crust on unknown hardwood stick. Edge of brook. Crust shows development by adding radially growth zones(noticed at microscope). Margin has a lighter color. No particular smell as on other crust that release a sweet fungal fragrance after being wet. Few spores were shed, and only two basidia were seen but lots of basidioles. Perhaps it is still young. Subhymenial hyphae have thick walls, simple clamp, two types of branching: "Y" form and "T" form(perpendicular) of various widths 3.4-4.4-8.8-11.7 um, sometimes inflated, twisted, and nodulose. The two basidia seen were 3.7-6.1 x 24-29 um, four-spored. All structures have simple septa. Spores 2.9-3.3 x 6.1-6.9 um.

Among pebbles, under a bush. Garden. Spore print chocolate tone. Small size. Enlarged at base. Cap 2cm in diameter, with a fibrose aspect given by scattered brown fibers, shiny; with umbo; stipe dark, sturdy 6cm long, covered with white exerted hyphae, and heavily hirsute at base. Gills are decurrent, forked towards margin and some in the middle. Sweet fungal smell. In a second attempt 34 spores were measured. 17 were 4.9-7.4; 4 spores were 4.4 x 7.4 um. Others were smaller or bigger than these two groups. Spore range 4.4-5 x 6.1-7.9um. Q: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5 (18 spores were here) and 1.6.

Side of brook. Area subject to flood. Cap 2.3 cm, stipe 2.3cm by 5mm near gills, narrowing towards base. Gills are free and of sugary aspect on edge(Bunches of cystidia). Stipe has fibrose aspect so does cap (brown hairs). Fruity sweet fungal smell. Pseudosperma sp. was suggested. Associated with hardwoods. I was told to check for bruising but it was too late to do it.