Part 51

Stem: absent or extremely short.

Flesh: white.

Spore-print: white.

Spore: medium sized, broadly ellipsoid to subglobose, hyaline under the microscope and not turning bluish grey in iodine solutions, 9-10 × 7-8 µm in size.

Cystidia: absent.

Basidia: 2-spored.

Habitat & Distribution: Frequent on the ground in woods, especially in the shade of beech trees or in conifer plantations.

General Information: Two very closely related species are to be found in similar localities and are equally as common; they are C. cristata (Fries) Schroeter with strongly branched white fruit-body, each branch ending in pinkish or lavender-white, divided, sharply pointed branchlets and C. cinerea (Fries) Schroeter with irregular greyish or dark grey branches with a flush of violaceous.

These three species are very closely related; in fact so many intermediates between the extreme morphological forms are known that some authorities have considered them simply forms of a single species. All these species lack cystidia.

rugosa--wrinkled, referring to the spore-bearing surface.

cristata--crested, referring to the branchlets.

cinerea--ash-grey, referring to the colour.

All these species are often found blackened by the growth of the microscopic fungus, Helminthosphaeria clavariae (Tulasne) Fuckel.

Illustrations: C. rugosa--LH 55; WD 104⁵. C. cristata--LH 55; NB 153⁵; WD 104². C. cinerea--WD 104¹.

~Clavaria vermicularis~ Fries

White spindles

Cap: absent. Fruit-body: width 6-10 mm; length 50-85 mm.

Description: Plate 56.

Simple or very rarely branched, but not forked below the soil-level, densely tufted, spindle-shaped, pure white with sharp, often slightly brownish, tips, when old it is wavy, often twisted, compressed and fragile.

Stem: absent.

Flesh: whitish.

Spore-print: white.

Spores: small, pip-shaped, smooth, hyaline under the microscope, 4-5 × 3 µm in size, and not becoming bluish grey in iodine solutions.

Cystidia: absent.

Habitat & Distribution: Common in autumn amongst grass in fields, less frequent in woods.

General Information: Clavulinopsis fusiformis (Fries) Corner, ‘Golden spindles’ is similar to C. vermicularis, but forms dense tufts of canary-yellow, very fragile clubs joined in 2’s or 3’s below the soil level; the spores are also slightly different, being almost globose, hyaline under the microscope and 5-7 µm in diameter.

Clavaria fumosa Fries is similar to C. vermicularis and forms tufts of very fragile mouse-grey clubs with brownish tips; it produces elongate ellipsoid spores measuring 6-8 × 3-4 µm which are hyaline under the microscope. C. vermicularis and C. fumosa differ from Clavulinopsis in hyphal construction, but the differences are rather difficult to demonstrate to the beginner. Clavulinopsis helvola favours similar habits to C. fusiformis and although yellow in colour differs in the more orange-yellow colouration, but more particularly in the spores being rounded, 5-6 µm in diameter with large angular spines.

The earth-tongues, i.e. members of the family Geoglossaceae which are also found in pastures belong to an unrelated group of fungi, the Ascomycetes. If the clubs are crushed and examined under the microscope rows of sacs (asci) containing long thread-like ascospores are found--no basidia are to be seen.