Autumn Fungal Foray in Esher Common (Sandy Lane) on 7th November 2004

This is an annual event arranged jointly by the Elmbridge and Spelthorne Natural History Societies and led by BRIAN SPOONER. About 20 members of both societies, plus a few other independent individuals, attended the gathering at 10.30 am, and forayed for about three hours on the mixed (mainly deciduous) woodland by the car park in Sandy Lane. Although we did not venture far from the car park, over 60 species were recorded from the site, including some very colourful myxomycetes, which are not true fungi but are traditionally researched by mycologists. However, some finds will require a more careful examination in the lab, so the morning's hunt might yet yield extra records. The species are listed below according to their major systematic arrangement (i.e. in related groups). That way one can associate better their features and traits, as patiently explained by Brian when approached with a fungus for naming. There were some interesting records, as usual on these forays, including Lepiota josserandii and Pholiota populnea new to the list and another record of the very rare Hebelomina neerlandica. The last was new to Britain from Oxshott about ten years ago, and this is still the only known British locality for this species which is known otherwise only from The Netherlands. The star of the day, however, was Aseroë rubra, a mainly Southern hemisphere red beauty belonging to the stink-horn family, which looks a bit like an octopus with red tentacles, and is at home in this part of the Common. It was present in hundreds. The fungus starts as a gelatinous, egg-shaped structure that resembles a puffball, and when the red 'tentacles' develop - usually within a day or two after the egg stage - there is a dark sticky and smelly black jelly (the gleba) on the top that attracts the flies for spore dispersal. Outside of its subtropical and Southern hemisphere range, this species is only known from Esher.

ASCOMYCETES

Ascocoryne sarcoides Purple jelly-cup

Chlorosplenium aeruginascens seen as green stained wood, this time on Betula Diatrypella quercina blackish pustules breaking through the bark of an oak branch

Xylaria hypoxylon Candle-snuff fungus, growing on stumps

BASIDIOMYCETES

JELLY FUNGI

Calocera pallidospathulata on pine branch

Calocera viscosa Jelly antler-fungus on pine

POLYPORES AND OTHER BRACKETS

Chondrostereum purpureum causes silver leaf disease of plums, although here found commonly on birch

Daedaleopsis confragosa known as the Blushing bracket because of the reddish colour when bruised

Heterobasidion annosum parasite of conifers, and also on deciduous trees

Phaeolus schweinitzii large pine polypore, a parasite with a hairy upper surface and a yellowish margin

Phellinus ferreus a bracket without the shape of one

Piptoporus betulinus Birch polypore, also known as Razor-strop fungus because it was used to sharpened razors

Radulomyces molaris with peg-like teeth, on rotten oak branch Schizopora paradoxa on dead branch

Stereum gausapatum common on oak, bleeds red on touch

Stereum hirsutum small, tough orange-yellow brackets, slightly hairy on top

Thelephora terrestris fan shaped soil/wood rotting fungus

Trametes versicolor with characteristic coloured zones on the cap

Trichaptum abietinum Violet conifer-bracket

TOOTH FUNGUS

Auriscalpium vulgare on pine cones, characterised by a lateral cap and dark setae

BOLETES

Boletus badius Bay bolete; colours bluish when bruising, good edible species

Paxillus involutus Brown roll-rim, with gills that easily peel off from cap

Suillus luteus Slippery jack, found under pines

AGARICALES

Amanita muscaria Fly agaric

Armillaria mellea Honey-fungus

Clitocybe dicolor with pines

Clitocybe geotropa large and robust species

Clitocybe nebularis large species, common in woodlands

Collybia butyracea with characteristic fibrous stem, broader at the base; one of the commonest woodland toadstools

Coprinus micaceus a wood-rotting ink-cap

Crepidotus variabilis shell-like shape, with pinkish-brown gills; attached to a twig

Dermocybe sanguinea also known as Cortinarius sanguineus, a toadstool of blood-red colour throughout

Dermocybe semisanguinea like the above but with yellowish cap and stem

Gymnopilus penetrans conifer wood-rotting toadstools, with rusty colour throughout

Hebelomina neerlandica very rare!

Hygrophorus hypothejus under pines

Hypholoma fasciculare commonly known as Sulphur-tuft, yellowish colour, forming groups with greenish gills and remains of veil on edge of cup

Hypholoma sublateritium like above but more brick-red colour on the cap and stem

Laccaria amethystea known as the Amethyst deceiver due to its colour; common

Laccaria laccata the Deceiver, a very common woodland toadstool

Lactarius hepaticus member of the milk cups; yellow milk

Lactarius quietus Oak milk-cap; oily smell

Lactarius tabidus pale orange cap, milk turns yellow

Lactarius turpis Ugly milk cap, grows with birch; very hot tasting milk!

Lepiota josserandii pinkish, scaly cap; new to the Commons!

Lepista nuda Wood blewit; good edible

Lyophyllum decastes

Mycena galopus one of the 'Bonnet caps'; the stem produces milk in this species

Mycena filopes common in woodland litter

Mycena vulgaris a pine wood species

Pholiota populnea rare, probably here on willows

Pholiota squarrosa usually forming big clumps on deciduous trees, with a scaly cap

Russula betularum pale pink, becoming whitish in the middle

Russula ochroleuca the commonest yellow one in Esher

Russula emetica bright red cap, but white gills and stem

Russula sardonia purple-red cap and stem, and gills pale yellow

Russula fragilis cap greenish in the middle

Tricholomopsis rutilans Plums-and-custard, referring to the colour of the cap and stem respectively; on pine

CLATHROID (CAGE FUNGI AND RELATIVES)

Aseroë rubra Starfish fungus

PUFFBALLS AND EARTHBALLS

Lycoperdon perlatum common puffball in woodlands

Scleroderma citrinum Common earthball, slightly yellowish in colour, the spores released by irregular breaking of the upper surface, not through a pore

HYPHOMYCETES

Sepedonium chrysospermum parasitic on boletes; becoming bright yellow as it matures

MYXOMYCETES

Lycogala terrestris Wolf's milk

Physarum sp. with mauve sporangia when mature

Trichia varia young sporangia on stems

BEGOÑA AGUIRRE-HUDSON & BRIAN SPOONER