profinite's Favourites

Spore deposit rusty brown. Cap 4.5 - 6 cm across. Stipe 8.5 cm long x 2.2 - 3 cm wide, context beige. There is no violet coloring. Spores (8) 8.2 - 9.19 (9.2) x (5) 5.1 - 5.6 (5.8) µm, Q = 1.5 - 1.7, N = 20, Me = 8.6 x 5.4 µm, Qe = 1.6. Growing under alder and conifers in sandy soil.

Spore deposit rusty brown. No distinct odor. Cap 3.2 cm across. Gills olive brown. Stipe 6.6 cm long x 5 - 16 mm wide. KOH is yellow on the stipe context and negative on the cap. UV365nm negative on all tissue. Spores rough, (7.3) 7.6 - 9.4 (10.8) x (5.2) 5.5 - 6.7 (7) µm, Q = (1.3) 1.35 - 1.5 (1.6), N = 25, Me = 8.4 x 5.9 µm, Qe = 1.4. Growing under Sitka Spruce.

Merulius “pink” sensu Brian Perry (i think).
Nivicolous species, forming a cobwebby mycelium that wanders expansively around substrates, and eventually (merges?) to form a fruiting body. Thin, pliant, easily removeable from substrate, merulioid fertile surface with white fluffy & soft margins. Odor mild to pleasant. Did not taste. Drying a pale creamy orange color. KOH rather slowly reddening.

Cap olive brown, glutinous.

Stem cream colored, sticky, somewhat bulbous at base, up to 7 cm X 2 cm

Gills olive brown, slight notch at stem.

Flesh whitish, yellow-brown in KOH, possible bluish tint at apex edges (see pic).

Spores almond-to-lemon shaped, 8 um X 5.5 um, no cystidia.

Incredibly lovely little white Gautieria, with an aroma that is dead-on for a fresh cut pear, maybe slightly unripe. Not as rubbery as a typical Gautieria, more light and foam-y.

Added spore photos 8/23/24, mounted in KOH. Spores ornamented with irregular, ornate wings of variable shapes and sizes.

Young fruiting body fruiting just below a Sitka Spruce root(soil but curved fruiting from below root).
Shaved off a small piece of hymenium tissue and crush mounted in 3% KOH.
MICROSCOPY:
Spores: long fusoid(tapering tips), smooth, medium/lg in size.
Harvested specimen dehydrated for herbarium collection/Mycoblitz voucher.
My corresponding Mushroomobserver observation linked below-

https://mushroomobserver.org/556218?q=1tjne

Every Fingerprint tells a Story:

NCBI blast of ITS yields interesting ecological implications for this diminutive gray Trich -- appearing to be the/a fungal link between the mycoheterotrophic Hypopitys monotropa and the magnanimous Pinus ponderosa:

This Trich occurs in the southwest where it associates with Ponderosa Pine "ectomycorrhizal colonized root": https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/nuccore/MZ017995

also appears to associate with "Hypopitys monotropa root tip":

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/nuccore/OQ832132

The only geographic data for the Hypopitys is "USA" -- GenBank submissions should have geographic location (at least to county and state)

Monotropa hypopitys is a mycoheterotrophic plant native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Apparently recent genetic evidence strongly suggests that Monotropa hypopitys should be placed in its own genus, Hypopitys,

from Latinized Greek hypo-, "under", and pitys, "pine"

Fruiting beneath Douglas fir and vine maple.
Harvested two specimens.
Removed portion of cap and removed single gill with straight razors.
Mounted gill in 3% KOH.
Spores: elliptical to ovoid, large, roughened/verrucose, thick walled.
Basidia: both 2 and 4 sterigmate. Abundant on gill edge. Most 4 sterigmate.
No cystidia visible that I could find.
Dehydrated both specimens thoroughly and bagged for herbarium collection/genetic record.
My corresponding Mushroomobserver observation below-

https://mushroomobserver.org/549824?q=1oaSB

Spore deposit cinnamon-brown. No distinct odor. Cap 2.5 - 6.5 cm across, hygrophanous. Stipe up to 17 cm long x 2 - 5 mm wide, hollow. Cheilocystidia and pleurocystidia lecythiform or tibiiform. Spores with germ pore, (7.8) 8 - 9.1 (9.3) x (5.6) 5.8 - 6.3 (6.4) µm, Q = (1.2) 1.3 - 1.5 (1.6), N = 25, Me = 8.6 x 6 µm, Qe = 1.4. Growing in duff under Picea sitchensis.

Pisgah unburned control. This site has evidence of a fire >>50 years ago as the oaks are resprouts, but they are large. Unburned only with respect to known historical fires.

Hanging down from the underside of an oak log (yes with Mollisia). Often in insect holes.