Sistotrema season

Suddenly every day I'm getting another Sistotrema lesson. This beautiful white athelioid specimen was found on a dead heather stem (I presumed Calluna vulgaris but I have to check- see later). In the field it has an open structure with a more opaque snowy feel where the hyphae have mounted up centrally. By the time it got home the open spaces had closed up and it had become more matted.

The typical skinny Sistotrema sterigmata were the first flag to be waved under the microscope. There being 6 of them certainly helps ease the keying.

Since I ran it under the lens without spore printing I had to seek out some spores to see if I could do without spore printing and fortunately was able to find a few here and there. No cystidia rules out a large number of species anyway.

It was comforting to find in Bernicchia that the species had been noted on an Erica sp. (hence Calluna note!). This isn't unique in the Sistotrema listed in that book, but it is reassuring nonetheless.

The species has scattered records and a good few in Scotland, though I can't remember seeing any listed as being from heather

Dead heather stem

Pretty athelioid structure

More matted back at home

Typical Sistotrema basidium

 

Some spores in the mix

Another basidium

Clamped bases

Sistotrema diademiferum, Cullaloe 24/10/2015

A nice corticioid on a small twig in the mixed woodland, maybe Birch or Fagus. Possibly even Pinus. This species seems to be happy on various substrates. The Sistotrema's 6 sterigmata were quite clear from the off, mercfully and it keyed out nicely in Ellisx2, Bernicchia and even CNE.

It's curious to see such skinny sterigmata topped with sub-globose spores. This arrangement- the circle of spores - presumably gives it its epiphet diademiferum, with a diadem being a royal crown, though you would imagine that could apply to any Sistotrema or Botryobasidium. Sistotrema "bunch of grapes" isn't so catchy.

(It has just now been pointed out to me that botryo refers to a bunch of grapes though in reference to the bunched basidia - thanks SB)

Thin fb on a twig

basidial clamp

6 sterigmata

sub-globose spores c.4x3.5

Bunch of grapes, or "diadem"

Scattered hymenial elements

Dug up from last week's pics - the original looking pretty much like Beech (Fagus)