THE MYCOLOGIST'S NOTEBOOK

This is an occasional feature, published whenever enough fungal related observations are sent in. Click on any title below to jump to that article: 
 
Rusty Groundsel by Colin Jacobs
The Singing, Dancing Fungus by Geoff Heathcote
Fungi Around Lowestoft by Colin Jacobs
Fungal Phylogeny

RUSTY GROUNDSEL

To the botanist and the non-botanist alike the common weed of gardens and disturbed ground, groundsel Senecio vulgaris is never worth a second glance. A closer look on the other hand may find you looking at the rust Puccinia lagenophorae Cooke. This rust fungus is said to have come from Australia and was first recorded in the UK in 1961. At Hopton Holiday Village where I am gardener all of the groundsel plants on one stretch of pathway are severely affected. Other plants on the site are unaffected. In some cases the whole stem may be affected or just the leaves. On looking though a binocular microscope at the fruiting bodies they are seen to be very beautiful. They have orange circular discs with a buff edging and are uniform in size. Darlington (1968) includes an illustration of Coleosporium senecionis, which looks very similar to this stage of P. lagenophorae There are two records for East Suffolk in the British Mycological Society database. It is also recorded in Fungi and Slime Moulds in Suffolk.

I have recently found the daisy Bellis perennis rust Puccinia distincta on site, which is my only Suffolk record. My other record comes from Wacton near Long Stratton in Norfolk. This rust can decimate a daisy population, which according to your point of view is either a good or bad thing. This species was first recorded in 1997 after occurring on cultivated forms for many years. Yellowing leaves with wavy edges and raised areas are diagnostic features and the plants are normally more erect than usual.

Please look out for either of these rusts. I would welcome any material for examination especially the daisy rust. These can be sent in empty film canisters, preferably with a note of how many plants are affected plus site and soil details and the normal six-figure grid reference to 22 Oxford Road Lowestoft Suffolk NR32
1TW.

References
Redfern M. Shirley P. Aidgap British Plant Galls. Field Studies Council

Darlington A. 1968. The Pocket Encyclopedia of Plant Galls. Blandford Press London.

Ellis M.B. & Ellis J. P. 1985. Micro Fungi on Land Plants. Croom Helm. Wurzell B. 1999.

BSBI News 80 p 20 Common Daisies under Threat.

Acknowledgements
Mrs J.P. Ellis for confirming identification of the rusts and proofreading the article.
Mr R. Maidstone for an update on the status of the daisy rust at Wacton in Norfolk.

Colin Jacobs

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THE SINGING, DANCING FUNGUS

The Jew’s Ear fungus (sorry, but that is its name), Auricularia auricula-judaeAmans, (syn. Hirneola auricula-judae Berk.), is a jelly fungus, which along with rusts and smuts, belongs to the group called the Heterobasidiomycetes. Those readers, probably few in number who wish to look into their complex methods of spore production could, for example, see Introductory Mycology by C.J Alexopoulos (1962). The gelatinous, ear-shaped fruiting bodies, usually 6-7 cm across, are commonly found in Suffolk on dead elder. The outer surface of these wrinkled ‘ears’ is tan brown with minute greyish hairs, and the inner surface is grey-brown when fresh, but can dry quite hard and turn almost black. The spores produced on the inner surface are white and sausage-shaped. The fungus can be found at any time of the year but especially in autumn. The Jew’s Ear fungus is known to be edible, but looks unappetizing. Several years ago Gertrude Townsend, the secretary of the now defunct Bury St Edmunds and District Naturalists’ Club, told me that she had cooked some and that it had “squeaked”. This sounded to me to be most unlikely but I was persuaded to try testing it. I put some of the fungus in a hot frying pan and left the kitchen. I was then amazed to hear quite a loud noise. The fruiting bodies had separated into individual layers and blown up like balloons from which air escaped , making this noise, as when a rubber balloon is blown up and suddenly released. Not only that, but a friend tried it and one shot out of the pan. So, I always think of A. auricula-judae as the singing-dancing fungus, but I do not recommend it as a dish.

Geoff Heathcote

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FUNGI AROUND LOWESTOFT

This winter I have seen several fungi in and around both Corton and Gunton woods, with Velvet Shank Flammulina velutipes being the most abundant. Both woods and
nearby Foxburrow Wood, north of Lowestoft, produced Candle Snuff Xylaria hypoxylon. In Corton Wood the Oyster fungus Pleurotus ostreatus was plentiful on
beech. In Gunton Wood I found a good patch of the resupinate Phlebia merismoides which can easily be determined by its odour of smelly feet. Phlebia is a member of
the Meruliaceae, a group that contains the dreaded ‘dry rot’ fungi of buildings. My final tally of fungi for January was completed in Foxburrow Wood where the
Puffball Lycoperdon pyriforme was found on a rotting log.

Colin Jacobs

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