Resinicium?

This minutely hydnoid (odontoid) crust was on debarked pine at Longshaw, Derbyshire. Although it produced a good spore deposit, I was unable to find any basidia even under oil immersion. The microscopy was done on the dried specimen, which was hard and resinous, very difficult to section, and when hydrated with KOH or water, produced a rather messy soup. Features akin to Resinicium as described in Fungi of Switzerland and Corticiacaea of Northern Europe are the waxy texture, the spores (non-amyloid, typically 6 x 2.5, one side sometimes straight), clamped hyphae and balloon-shaped cystidia. One of those in the image appears to have a halo. The fungus was infected by a dark hyphomycete. Resinicium bicolor would fit the habitat of bare pine wood, but should have star-shaped cystidia as well. R. pinicola might fit better but for the shortness of the teeth (though the fungus might have been grazed).

Steve

[attachment=5]1 Field photo.JPG[/attachment]

[attachment=4]2 Stereo image x45.JPG[/attachment]

[attachment=3]3 Section x 100.jpg[/attachment]

[attachment=2]4 Section of tooth x 600.jpg[/attachment]

[attachment=1]5 Spores.jpg[/attachment]

[attachment=0]6 Microscopy.jpg[/attachment]