Our foray this year was again held jointly with the West Weald Recording Group, and returned to Oxshott Heath, led by Brian Spooner. Our route this time though took us westwards towards Brown's Corner, through the woodlands adjacent to the railway line, and back via areas recently cleared as part of the ongoing heathland restoration work. It was rather a late-season foray and, as last year, proved to be a bitterly cold, wet day! There was a good turnout of forayers nevertheless, although by late morning the driving rain had dampened the enthusiasm of some. Others more tenacious stayed for an afternoon look at the area north of Sandy Lane where the `starfish fungus' Aseroe rubra can be found in its only known British locality, and were duly rewarded with one fully open fruitbody and an egg stage. The foray, despite the weather, was very productive, with a grand total of 160 species recorded in all, including seven new to the site - pretty good as the area is still probably the most richly recorded anywhere with over 3,300 species known in total.
Among those of particular interest was the earthtongue Geoglossum fallax, which, although one of the commoner of the Geoglossum species, has only once previously been recorded at Oxshott and was here in a new site. Notable were large quantities of the pale form of the false chanterelle, Hygrophoropsis aurantiaca var. pallida, fruiting abundantly especially in recently cleared areas of pine woodland. Also of interest was good material of Serpula himantioides, a `wild' relative of the dry rot fungus, fruiting on a fallen pine trunk, and a further record of Annulohypoxylon minutellum, one of the so-called `wood warts'. This has only fairly recently been found in Britain (c. 1980, but most records since 2002) and is one of the few species of this group to occur on oak. Amongst the new records was Marasmius setosus, a slender, whitish species which grows on fallen oak leaves. Two other similar-looking species which also occur on fallen oak leaves, Mycena smithiana and Hemimycena lactea, were also recorded. Two much larger agarics, the milkcap Lactarius chrysorrheus, very distinctive due to its copious yellow milk, and the rather less distinctive Tricholoma stiparophyllum, one of the brown-capped species, were also new records for the area. Finally, pinkish-orange masses conspicuously developed on and around ergots, the stromata of Claviceps purpurea, in the inflorescence of purple moor-grass (Molinia caerulea), were noted at one spot. These proved to be due to Fusarium heterosporum, an uncommon parasite of ergots and also a first record for the area. The full species list for the day is provided below, with thanks to Mariko Parslow and Dick Alder for compiling this from various recorders.
Brian Spooner
Oxshott Heath, south
Ascomycota and anamorphs |
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Aleuria aurantia |
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Annulohypoxylon minutellum |
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on fallen trunk, Quercus robur K |
Ascocoryne cylichnium |
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on wood |
Ascocoryne sarcoides |
H |
on stump, ?Pinus, with Coryne dubia state |
Asteromella castaneicola |
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on fallen leaves, Castanea sativa |
Claviceps purpureasclerotia |
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on inflorescences of Molinia caerulea |
Cudoniella acicularis |
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on stump, Castanea sativa |
*Fusarium heterosporum |
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on sclerotia of Claviceps p. on Molinia K |
Fusidium aeruginosum |
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on dead leaf, Quercus robur |
Geoglossum fallax |
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on soil among moss, grass and herb. plants |
Helvella crispa |
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under Quercus robur |
Hypoxylon multiforme |
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on trunk, Betula pubescens, B. pendula |
Lachnum apalum |
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on old rush culm in ditch, Juncus sp. |
Leptosphaeria acuta |
A |
on old stem, Urtica dioica, Phoma stage |
Microsphaera alphitoides |
H |
on leaves, Quercus robur |
Nectria cinnabarina |
A |
on fallen branch, Acer campestre |
Phyllactinia guttata |
H |
on leaves, Betula pendula, Corylus avellana |
Phyllactinia fraxini |
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on fallen leaves, Fraxinus excelsior |
Rhopographus filicinum |
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on stem, Pteridium aquilinum |
Sepedonium chrysospermum |
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on effete fruitbody of Boletoid fungus |
Sphaeropsis sapinea |
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on needles from brashings, Pinus sylvestris |
Xylaria hypoxylon |
H |
on stump, Quercus robur |
Basidiomycota |
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Abortiporus biennis |
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Amanita muscaria |
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Amanita rubescens |
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Armillaria gallica |
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Armillaria ostoyae |
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Auricularia auricula-judae |
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on attached branch, Sambucus nigra |
Auriscalpium vulgare |
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on old cones Pinus sylvestris |
Baeospora myosura |
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on cones, Pinus sylvestris |
Bjerkandra adusta |
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on fallen trunk, Betula sp. |
Boletus badius |
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Byssomerulius corium |
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on fallen branch, Quercus robur |
Calocera viscosa |
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on wood, ?Betula sp. |
Calvatia excipuliformis |
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Chondrostereum purpureum |
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on buried wood |
Clavulinopsis helvola |
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on soil among moss, grass and herbs |
Clitocybe metachroa |
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on litter, Quercus and Betula spp |
Clitocybe nebularis |
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Collybia butyracea |
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Collybia confluens |
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Collybia dryophila |
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Collybia maculata |
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Collybia peronata |
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Coniophora puteana |
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on ?log, Betula sp. |
Coprinellus angulatus |
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on burnt soil |
Coprinellus micaceus |
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Crepidotus cesatii |
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on twig, deciduous wood |
Crepidotus epibryus |
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on dead twig, Rosa sp., Rubus fruicosus agg. |
Crepidotus lundellii |
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on dead trunk, Betula sp. |
Crepidotus variabilis |
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on branch, Rubus fruicosus agg. |
Cylindrobasidium laeve |
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on twig, Betula sp. |
Daedalea quercina |
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on buried trunk |
Daedaleopsis confragosa |
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*Entoloma hebes |
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Exidia nucleata |
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on attached branch, Quercus robur |
Ganoderma applanatum |
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on stump, Quercus robur |
Ganoderma australe (adspersum) |
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no material |
Gymnopilus penetrans |
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on fallen branches |
Hemimycena lactea |
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on dead leaf, Quercus robur K |
Hemimycena lactea |
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on dead leaf, Quercus robur K |
Hemimycena tortuosa |
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on deciduous litter |
Heterobasidion annosum |
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Hygrocybe conica |
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Hygrocybe virginea |
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Hygrophoropsis aurantiaca |
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Hygrophoropsis aurantiaca var. pallida |
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Hygrophorus hypothejus |
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under Betula pubescens |
Hyphodontia sambuci |
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on ?wood, Betula sp. |
Hypholoma fasciculare |
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Inocybe geophylla var. lilacina |
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Ischnoderma benzoinum |
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on ?Pinus sylvestris |
Laccaria amethystina |
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Laccaria laccata |
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Lacrymaria lacrymabunda |
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*Lactarius chrysorrheus |
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Lactarius hepaticus |
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under Pinus sylvestris |
Lactarius quietus |
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?under Quercus robur |
Lactarius tabidus |
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under Quercus robur |
Lactarius turpis |
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Lepista flaccida |
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Lepista nuda |
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Lyophyllum decastes |
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on fire site, record from EWB |
Macrotyphula fistulosus var. contortus |
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on Quercus robur |
Marasmius epiphyllus |
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on dead leaf, Q. robur, Crataegus monogyna |
Marasmius rotula |
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*Marasmius setosus |
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on dead leaf, Quercus robur |
Melampsoridium betulinum |
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on fallen leaves, Betula pendula |
Mycena acicula |
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Mycena adscendens |
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on bark at base of tree, Quercus robur |
Mycena epipterygia |
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Mycena flavoalba |
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Mycena galericulata |
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Mycena galopus |
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Mycena galopus var. candida |
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*Mycena hiemalis |
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on standing trunk, Sambucus nigra K |
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Mycena inclinata |
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Mycena leptocephala |
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Mycena polyadelpha |
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on dead leaf, Quercus robur |
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Mycena polygramma |
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*Mycena rosea |
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Mycena smithiana |
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on dead leaf, Quercus robur K |
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Mycena speirea |
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Mycena vitilis |
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Paxillus involutus |
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Phanerochaete velutina |
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on branch, Betula sp. |
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Phlebia radiata |
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on fallen trunk, Quercus robur |
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Phlebia tremellosus |
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on felled log, Pinus sylvestris |
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Phragmidium violaceum |
III |
on living leaves, Rubus fruticosus agg. |
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Piptoporus betulinus |
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Pleurotus ostreatus |
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Psathyrella pennata |
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on burnt wood |
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Psathyrella piluliformis |
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('albino' on burnt wood K) |
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Pseudotrametes gibbosa |
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Radulomyces molaris |
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on fallen branch, Quercus robur |
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Rickenella swartzii |
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Russula atropurpurea |
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near Quercus sp. and Betula sp. |
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Russula betularum |
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Russula foetens |
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Russula fragilis |
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Russula ochroleuca |
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Schizopora paradoxa |
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Scleroderma areolatum |
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Scleroderma citrinum |
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Sparassis crispa |
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on base of standing tree, Pinus sylvestris |
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Steccherinum ochraceum |
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on log, Betula sp. |
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Stereum gausapatum |
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on branch, Quercus robur |
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Stereum hirsutum |
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Stereum rameale |
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on branch, Quercus robur |
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Stereum subtomentosum |
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Suillus bovinus |
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Suillus luteus |
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Suillus variegatus |
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under Pinus sylvestris K |
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Tephrocybe anthracophila |
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on burnt soil K |
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Trametes versicolor |
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Tremella mesenterica |
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Tricholoma lascivum |
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under Quercus robur |
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*Tricholoma stiparophyllum |
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under Betula pubescens |
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Tricholoma sulphureum |
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Tubaria hiemalis |
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Notable additions from Oxshott Heath north
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Ascomycota |
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Colpoma quercinum |
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on fallen twig, Quercus robur |
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Diatrypella favacea |
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on fallen trunk, Betula pendula |
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Hypocrea pulvinata |
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on Piptoporus betulinus |
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Octospora humosa |
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amongst Polytrichum sp. |
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Rhytisma acerinum |
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on fallen leaves, Acer pseudoplatanus |
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Sawadaea bicornis |
H |
on fallen leaves, Acer pseudoplatanus |
Basidiomycota
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Aseroe rubra |
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Calocera cornea |
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on decorticated wood, ? Betula pendula |
Cortinarius sanguineus |
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Hohenbuehelia atrocoerulea |
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on stump, Ulex europaeus K |
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Hydnum repandum |
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Lactarius vietus |
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Rickenella fibula |
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Serpula himantioides |
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on fallen trunk, Pinus sylvestris K |
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Trichaptum abietinum |
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on pine branches |
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Postia subcaesia |
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on felled wood, Castanea sativa K |
Notable additions from Heath Road, Oxshott
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Ascomycota |
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Otidea alutacea |
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Otidea onotica |
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Basidiomycota |
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Agaricus sylvaticus |
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Boletus edulis |
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Boletus erythropus |
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Lycoperdon perlatum |
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Ramaria stricta |
* = new to the Esher/Oxshott list; K = retained in Kew herbarium.
H = holomorph - in an ascomycete, the stage when both the sexual and asexual stages of the fungus are present.
A = anamorph - in an ascomycete, the stage when only its asexual (conidial) stage is present.
III = telial stage - in a rust fungus (a basidiomycete), the stage when it has a telium, an organ which produces teliospores (or teleutospores), from which in turn a basidium is produced.