Fleshy Fungi of New Brunswick >> Arrhenia sphagnicola

Arrhenia sphagnicola (Berk.) Redhead, Lutzoni, Moncalvo & Vilgalys

Solitary amongst sphagna in floating bog, Spednic Lake Protected Natural Area, New Brunswick (15-06-18/01)

Basidiospores white in spore print, ellipsoidal to subsigmoidal or subboletoid, smooth, inamyloid, 6.1-9.5 X 3.1-4.3 μm, D/d = 1.62-2.55 (average[35]: 7.6 X 3.7 μm, D/d = 2.05). Cystidia lacking. Pileipellis a cutis formed of dark brown and heavily encrusted hyphae.

Arrhenia sphagnicola is regularly found on Sphagnum mosses where it is probably parasitic. It is recognized by its brown colour, minutely spiny-scaly and deeply depressed pileus. It is characterized microscopically by the presence of clamp connections and the strongly encrusted hyphae of the pileipellis. It lacks cystidia altogether. Collection 15-06-18/01 has slightly smaller basidiospores than usually reported for the species, although measurements were made on spores from a spore print where they were likely to be mature.

Photo: D. Malloch (15-06-18/01)