(iii) Fairy-club fungi
Clavulina rugosa (Fries) Schroeter Wrinkled club
Cap: absent. Fruit-body: length 50-100 mm; width 7-13 mm.
Description:
Fruit-body: club-shaped, simple with blunt apex or irregular blunt branches, white or dirty cream colour, often thickened upwards and marked with longitudinal wrinkles or grooves and the whole surface of the club bearing spores.
Stem: absent or extremely short.
Flesh: white.
Spore-print: white.
Spore: medium sized, broadly ellipsoid to subglobose, hyaline under the microscope and not turning bluish grey in iodine solutions, 9-10 × 7-8 µm in size.
Cystidia: absent.
Basidia: 2-spored.
Habitat & Distribution: Frequent on the ground in woods, especially in the shade of beech trees or in conifer plantations.
General Information: Two very closely related species are to be found in similar localities and are equally as common; they are C. cristata (Fries) Schroeter with strongly branched white fruit-body, each branch ending in pinkish or lavender-white, divided, sharply pointed branchlets and C. cinerea (Fries) Schroeter with irregular greyish or dark grey branches with a flush of violaceous.
These three species are very closely related; in fact so many intermediates between the extreme morphological forms are known that some authorities have considered them simply forms of a single species. All these species lack cystidia.
rugosa—wrinkled, referring to the spore-bearing surface.
cristata—crested, referring to the branchlets.
cinerea—ash-grey, referring to the colour.
All these species are often found blackened by the growth of the microscopic fungus, Helminthosphaeria clavariae (Tulasne) Fuckel.
Illustrations: C. rugosa—LH 55; WD 1045. C. cristata—LH 55; NB 1535; WD 1042. C. cinerea—WD 1041.
Plate 56. Fleshy but firm fungi: Spores pale-coloured and borne on club-shaped fruit-bodies
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Clavaria vermicularis Fries White spindles
Cap: absent. Fruit-body: width 6-10 mm; length 50-85 mm.
Description: [Plate 56].
Simple or very rarely branched, but not forked below the soil-level, densely tufted, spindle-shaped, pure white with sharp, often slightly brownish, tips, when old it is wavy, often twisted, compressed and fragile.
Stem: absent.
Flesh: whitish.
Spore-print: white.
Spores: small, pip-shaped, smooth, hyaline under the microscope, 4-5 × 3 µm in size, and not becoming bluish grey in iodine solutions.
Cystidia: absent.
Habitat & Distribution: Common in autumn amongst grass in fields, less frequent in woods.
General Information: Clavulinopsis fusiformis (Fries) Corner, ‘Golden spindles’ is similar to C. vermicularis, but forms dense tufts of canary-yellow, very fragile clubs joined in 2’s or 3’s below the soil level; the spores are also slightly different, being almost globose, hyaline under the microscope and 5-7 µm in diameter.
Clavaria fumosa Fries is similar to C. vermicularis and forms tufts of very fragile mouse-grey clubs with brownish tips; it produces elongate ellipsoid spores measuring 6-8 × 3-4 µm which are hyaline under the microscope. C. vermicularis and C. fumosa differ from Clavulinopsis in hyphal construction, but the differences are rather difficult to demonstrate to the beginner. Clavulinopsis helvola favours similar habits to C. fusiformis and although yellow in colour differs in the more orange-yellow colouration, but more particularly in the spores being rounded, 5-6 µm in diameter with large angular spines.
The earth-tongues, i.e. members of the family Geoglossaceae which are also found in pastures belong to an unrelated group of fungi, the Ascomycetes. If the clubs are crushed and examined under the microscope rows of sacs (asci) containing long thread-like ascospores are found—no basidia are to be seen.
Illustrations: Clav. fusiformis—WD 1049. C. vermicularis—WD 10410. C. fumosa—Hvass 303; WD 10411. Clav. helvola—Hvass 300; WD 1051.
Plate 57. Club-shaped and coral fungi
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Clavulinopsis corniculata (Fries), Corner ([p. 171]).
Cap: absent. Fruit-body: complex; width 20-30 mm; length 20-40 mm.
Description: [Plate 57].
Fruit-body: shape depending on the length of grass in which it grows but always branching strongly from its base, composed of a dense compact tuft of egg-yellow or orange-tawny branches which are either irregular or of equal length and so they form a flattened top to the fruit-body complex, the branchlets are slender, forked 2- or 3-times, with their apices narrowed or curved.
Stem: very downy at the base.
Flesh: pale yellow.
Spore-print: white.
Spores: medium sized, hyaline under the microscope, smooth, spherical and 5-7 µm in diameter, not becoming bluish grey in iodine solutions.
Cystidia: absent.
Habitat & Distribution: Common amongst grass in fields or on grassy path sides in woodland.
General Information: Clavulinopsis corniculata is recognised by the branched habit and the smooth spores; Ramaria ochraceo-virens is of similar form, but has an overall duller colour and turns green on bruising, grows in pinewoods and has finely roughened brownish spores. Calocera viscosa also has an erect, bright golden or orange-yellow fruit-body which becomes more orange on drying. It is repeatedly branched and usually has a long, tough-rooting base. However, the spore-print is dirty yellowish and the fruit-body, which grows on coniferous wood, is viscid and elastic, a character reflected in the name ‘viscosa’. Microscopically the basidium of Calocera is shaped like a tuning-fork and is not clavate as in Clavulinopsis corniculata. It appears to be more related to the jelly-fungi (see [p. 180]).
Illustrations: Clavulinopsis corniculata—LH 55; NB 6; WD 1043. Calocera viscosa—Hvass 304; LH 225; NB 1493; WD 1078.
Typhula erythropus Fries.
Cap: absent. Fruit-body up to 20 mm high.
Description:
Fruit-body: upper fertile portion club-shaped and not more than half the length, white, surmounting a reddish brown, thread-like, often wavy or twisted stem which is attached at its base to an ellipsoid bead-like structure, called a sclerotium.
Spore-print: white.
Spores: oblong, smooth, hyaline under the microscope, 6-7 × 2 µm in size and not becoming bluish grey in iodine solutions.
Cystidia: absent.
Habitat & Distribution: Not uncommon on dead leaves and twigs or dead herbaceous stems.
Pistillaria micans Fries.
Cap: absent. Fruit-body: up to 10 mm high.
Description:
Club-shaped or oblong, rose-pink hardly differentiated from the similarly coloured stem, and arising at most from a small pad of filaments.
Spore-print: white.
Spores: broadly ellipsoid to pip-shaped, smooth, hyaline under the microscope, about 10 × 6 µm (8-11 × 5-7 µm) in size and not becoming bluish grey in iodine solutions.
Cystidia: absent.
Habitat & Distribution: Not uncommon on dead herbaceous stems and leaves, especially those in damp places.
Illustrations: T. erythropus WD 10510. P. micans WD 1057.
General notes on the club-fungi
Early mycologists believed that the club-shaped nature of the fruit-body was important in the classification of these fungi. Thus the Earth Tongues (Geoglossum, see [Plate 57]), the Stag’s horn fungi and relatives (Xylosphaera see [p. 204]), both Ascomycete groups, the Dacrymycetales (a group of jelly-fungi, see [p. 180]) and the true fairy-clubs were all classified together. It was the ‘Father of Mycology’, the Swede, Elias Fries, who in 1821, as in many other groups of fungi, made an attempt to make some sense of the chaos. By very careful observations, and what is so amazing without using a microscope, he was able to separate the tough stemmed and gelatinous stemmed groups from the more slender or coral-like ones. Fries was a very keen observer and noticed features which many modern authorities miss in the field because they rely too heavily on the microscope. Fries’ system was used almost unchanged until the second half of this century; its beauty was its simplicity in that it joined together in one group all those fungi with simple basidia and the spore-bearing tissue distributed all around a simple club or around the branches of a complex fruit-body resembling a coral. However, by a careful examination of the microscopic structures, such as the spores and hyphae and the development of the fruit-body, it has been found necessary to separate these fungi still further. The ecology of the club-fungi has assisted in an understanding of these proposed divisions.
The larger many branched clavarias, more correctly placed in the genus Ramaria, are to be found on bare soil in woodlands and plantations; R. ochraceo-virens is common in conifer plantations and can be recognised by the long ornamented spores, which characterise this group of fungi, and the fact that the sandy-coloured fruit-body becomes dark olive-green on bruising (see [p. 170]).
Clavariadelphus pistillaris is the largest of our simple club-fungi; it may grow up to 200 mm high and 50 mm wide. This fungus has a wrinkled outer surface and sometimes the apex of the club becomes flattened and lacks basidia; this suggests a possible relationship, perhaps evolutionary, to the primitive chanterelles (see [p. 162])—also woodland fungi. Clavulina, a complex group of dull or whitish, branched fruit-bodies, has been described earlier and the genus is characterised by the large spores and 2-spored basidia; they are woodland fungi also.
The grassland species are often simple in structure belonging in the main to the genus Clavulinopsis (see [p. 170]) and the now much reduced genus Clavaria (see [p. 168]). Although really complex, some of these species of Clavulinopsis are branched only below the soil level and thus appear as single clubs amongst the grass. Perhaps the single club has evolved especially to grow amongst blades of grass. C. corniculata, however, is well branched and the head is tight and compact and often flattened close to the ground. The same fungus in woodland is more open and because of this it was thought to be a different species to the grassland form. It is the simple club which dominates the form of those species which grow on herbaceous debris and grass-stems; indeed several species of Typhula cause diseases of grass particularly those of lawns where they have suffered damage because of cold or long periods under the snow. Some of these small fungi produce a small hard mass of fungal tissue about the size of a lupin seed (called a sclerotium). This is a resting body from which the club-shaped almost filament-like fruit-body later develops.
Thelephora terrestris Fries Earth-fan
Cap: absent. Fruit-body: width 20-40 mm; height 30-50 mm.
Description:
Fruit-body: erect, fan-shaped or effused with upturned margin, tough but thin and fibrous, chocolate-brown or cocoa-coloured, scaly from radiating fibrils and with fringed, pale buff or wine-coloured margin.
Gills: absent and replaced by a wrinkled or irregularly granular, dark lilaceous grey or cocoa-coloured surface.
Flesh: brown and thin.
Spore-print: purplish brown.
Spores: medium sized, dark brown under the microscope, warted-angular and 8-9 × 6-7 µm in size.
Cystidia: absent but basidia often filled with brown contents.
Basidia: 2-4 spored.
Habitat & Distribution: Found on the ground in woods, especially pine woods; also on heathland growing up vegetation and incorporating it into the fruit-body’s shape.
General Information: There is some evidence to suggest that this fungus can form mycorrhiza with pine trees under certain conditions.
Although it may be easily passed over because it is perfectly camouflaged it is quite easy to recognise when collected. T. palmata (Bulliard) Patouillard, is a bigger, less frequently seen species more coral-like in shape; it also grows in pine woods. When the fruit-body of T. terrestris spreads over the soil or plant debris it resembles other members of the family to which it belongs, i.e. Thelephoraceae; species of Tomentella. They also have warty angular spores, purplish brown colours, and wrinkled or puckered spore-bearing surfaces. Tomentella spp., however, are resupinate or encrusting and so do not form caps, even at the margin of the fruit-body. Tomentella is one of the many genera which were classed collectively as resupinate fungi because they lack a cap and form crusts. This group ‘the resupinates’ consists of a whole series of quite unrelated fungi.
Illustrations: LH 53; NB 478.
Plate 58. Club and Fan-shaped fungi
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