sand dune fungi

[PaulBowyer]

Hello,
Been on this one for 2 hours and not getting anywhere, hoping someone might know the genus or species? Keying out to various eg Clitocybe, Tricholoma, Melanoleuca and Mycena. In sand dunes in Somerset. Cap 36mm across light tomentose, stipe 30x4.5mm heavily tomentose.
Thanks, Paul

[Chris Yeates]

Hi Paul
sorry you have spent (wasted) 2 hours on this. How did you spend that time - I hope not looking at pictures on the web . . . ? It's not a Mycena (too robust); Melanoleuca (perhaps -marginally - the best guess) would need microscopy; microscopy doesn't usually help with Clitocybe - it's a genus which requires a range of fruitbodies, and (it often seems to me) the ability to decide whether the gills are "pale greyish-brown" or "pale brownish-grey"; it looks wrong for Tricholoma - hard to say why based on what I can see - just based on years of experience.
I would recommend following advice I was given when I started out on this difficult study - "one fruitbody is not a fungus" - you need several, at different stages. If it's any consolation, based on this solitary fruitbody I would definitely have followed Dionne Warwick's advice and just "Walked on By".
Chris

[adampembs]

Chris is mostly right, although I wouldn't say time spent in mycology is wasted, as we learn as much from mistakes or failures as we do from successes.
If I was determined enough, I'd start with a full microscopic examination and attempt to key it out using Funga Nordica. A big part of this depends on the pileipellis (cap skin) structure. I would expect Clitocybe to have decurrent gills though.
It might help to see the base, whether it was growing on buried wood, soil of plant stems and a clear view of the gill attachment. Did you consider the lepiotoids?

[PaulBowyer]

Hi Chris/Adam, Thanks for your reply. I was keying out with the key to genus in Funga Nordica but some options I wasn't sure about so keying multiple ways hence the numerous different options eg the pileipellis I think is cutis although lack of experience means I could be mistaken. As for the substrate, the base is a mass of white cobweb like filaments growing amongst Syntrichia ruraliformis. I thought it looked distinctive enough to attempt so with fresh eyes I'll have another go today and post back if I get definitive answer. Best Wishes, Paul

[PaulBowyer]

Having worked through it again more thoroughly I am now leaning towards a brown form of Lepista sordida (there are purple toned Lepista sordida nearby). The gill type looks like emarginate to me. The spores give no reaction to meltzers and at 1,000 they could possibly be minutely verrucose. If smooth the key takes me to Tricholoma.

[adampembs]

You can rule out Tricholoma unless there are trees nearby,

[Chris Yeates]

Of course the irony is that there are probably at least three identifiable fungi on those dead grass stems . . .

[PaulBowyer]

Thanks Adam, I can't remember will have to check. Only Sea Buckthorn in the dunes but there are trees on the edge of the dunes but unsure of the distance. Might just run it through the Tricholoma keys just in case...

[Chris Yeates]

. . . Only Sea Buckthorn in the dunes . . .

Keep an eye open for Fomitiporia (Phellinus) hippophaeicola; there is a least one previous Somerset record - Berrow Dunes.
Cheers
Chris
PS I've just read a bit about Berrow Dunes, and seen some images - looks like mycological heaven - dune systems is one habitat we are not well blessed with here in Yorkshire, sadly . . .

[PaulBowyer]

Thanks Chris, will take a look at Berrow and see how it compares. Best Wishes, Paul

[gary]

Pembrokeshire fungi recording group published a good little book on Dune Fungi but I don't know if they have any left.
https://www.pembsfungi.org.uk/

and there's a French book "Le petit livre des Champignons des dunes" by Jacques Guinbertau

https://www.amazon.co.uk/petit-livre-ch ... 2355270635

Hope that helps