Fungi in the Landscape

[NellyDee]

Sorry didn't think to post underside and close up - herewith
P.S - I may well be wrong, maybe honey fungus growing on lawn as well and I though they were all the same. When it stops raining will go out and have another look.

[Flaxton]

Armillaria gallica can grow in lawns not specifically on stumps or the like.
Mal

[Chris Yeates]

Armillaria gallica can grow in lawns not specifically on stumps or the like.
Mal

In the 20+ years I have lived at my current place, honey fungus has appeared (quite a few fruitbodies) in just one of those years. Clearly a non-parasitic form as no damage to trees or shrubs has occurred.
Chris

[adampembs]

Armillaria gallica can grow in lawns not specifically on stumps or the like.
Mal

I wonder how deep the mycelium can go. I've seen Armillaria growing on a woodland path, in places erosion had exposed tree roots that the fruitbodies were growing on. If the roots are a foot or two under the lawn.... or perhaps buried wood or woodchip. You might see it on lawns but never on unimproved grassland.

[Chris Yeates]

From The Dictionary of the Fungi (10th edition):
"Most species cause serious root diseases in woody plants; some form orchid mycorrhizas. Application of a biological species concept has led to
recognition of a larger number of biological species, which cannot always be recognised morphologically".

In other words it can be difficult to identify taxa with certainty based only on macro- and micro-characters. It follows then that it's impossible for the amateur to say that a particular "Armillaria" has particular habitat requirements. Also that Armillaria spp. are not all obligate parasites.

[NellyDee]

Sorry guys you have got me confused here. Are you saying that it is not Cortinarius trivialis which I posted and that it is Armillaria gallica? I posted close up and underside for you to see.

I did wonder if all the fungi shown were all the same so went out and had a look there are in fact very few of what I thought was Cortinarius trivialis on one side of the lawn, the majority are Armillaria (blast!) which I thought mainly appeared on the lower ground and have in the past worried about my woodland trees and asked advice. Here is close up of the Armillaria, spores yellowish brown.

As it was not raining too hard I looked down onto the lower ground, which has been flooded for most of the year, and yes there is barely a fallen tree that is not covered by them - Fungi in the Landscape for you!

[adampembs]

Sorry guys you have got me confused here. Are you saying that it is not Cortinarius trivialis which I posted and that it is Armillaria gallica? I posted close up and underside for you to see.

The definitive way to separate them is with a spore print. Cortinarius = brown, Armillaria = creamy white

"Spores yellowish brown" - now you have me confused? Where is the photo of the spore print?

[adampembs]

The gills of old Armillaria go brown which causes confusion, along with having a cobwebby veil. I think most of us have been caught out by this before. Something to look for if you don't want to wait for a spore deposit - Cortinarius spores can often be seen as a brown deposit on the stem, often stuck on the veil remnants , making a banding effect.

http://www.mushroomexpert.com/cortinarius.html

[Chris Yeates]

Sorry guys you have got me confused here. Are you saying that it is not Cortinarius trivialis which I posted and that it is Armillaria gallica? I posted close up and underside for you to see.

Yes Nelly - it's definitely an Armillaria; tricky to say which. Even without a microscope a spore-print would separate the two genera. But both Armillaria and Cortinarius are difficult genera, even microscopy only helps to a limited extent.
Chris

PS and it's safe to say there's no way you would see a Cortinarius species fruiting like http://www.fungi.org.uk/download/file.p ... &mode=view

[NellyDee]

OK I know photo of mass of fungi on fallen trees is Armillaria as it was identified when it first started appearing here ages ago. But I am still puzzled by this fungi which was growing on the 'mossy' lawn along with the Armillaria. Are you saying that this too is an Armillaria? It looks so different?