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Species Information
Summary: Features include 1) growth on recently dead twigs of living conifers, 2) small round patches that may become confluent, with a pale yellow-brown surface that dries pale tan, a distinct upraised margin, and a darker brown bald underside, 3) large oval spores that are smooth and amyloid, 4) a catahymenium composed of a) basidial elements, b) embedded pseudocystidia that are flexuous-cylindric, and c) numerous bottlebrush-like acanthophyses that are cylindric to subclavate, and 5) a context that is monomitic without clamp connections.
It has been recorded from BC, ID, ON, PQ, ME, NH, NY, and PA, (Ginns), and WA (Castellano). Collections examined from BC, ON, PQ, ME, NH, and NY, (Lemke).
Fruiting body: discoid with convex surface, separate or confluent, when separate 0.05-0.15cm across, 0.04-0.06cm thick, texture farinose-pulverulent [powdery] to subcoriaceous [somewhat leathery]; surface drying light buff; margins determinate, reflexed; underside bald, dark-colored, (Lemke), pale yellow-brown, drying pale tan; underside dark brown, bald, (Castellano)
Microscopic: SPORES (15)16-18(19) x (11)12-14(15) microns, oval, slightly flattened adaxially, smooth, amyloid, thin-walled; catahymenium composed of basidial elements, embedded pseudocystidia, and numerous acanthophyses; BASIDIA 4-spored, "at maturity subclavate, 75-90 x 14-20 microns, occasionally with a lateral, aculeate-pronged outgrowth", sterigmata arcuate, subulate; PSEUDOCYSTIDIA inconspicuous, 100-220 x 10-15 microns, flexuous-cylindric, without moniliform constrictions, colorless in KOH, not darkening in sulphobenzaldehyde; ACANTHOPHYSES variable, cylindric to subclavate, mostly swollen in lower part, with aculeate pronged parts covering the upper one third to two thirds and those parts 4.5-8 microns wide, thick-walled to semi-solid, acanthophyses often swollen in lower part, the basal part clavate, thin-walled and naked, acanthophyses colorless to faintly yellowish in KOH, often slightly amyloid; CONTEXT "monomitic, hyphae radiating from vertex", 4.5-5.5(7) microns wide, generative, thick-walled, simple-septate, (Lemke), SPORES ovate to elliptic; PSEUDOCYSTIDIA (gloeocystidia) "inconspicuous, flexuous, cylindric, not apically moniliform", (Castellano)
Habitat / Range
on recently dead twigs on live conifers, recorded from Abies grandis (Grand Fir), Pseudotsuga menziesii (Douglas-fir), Tsuga canadensis (Eastern Hemlock), (Ginns), on Pseudotsuga (Douglas-fir) in BC and Idaho, also on Tsuga canadensis, (Lemke)
Similar Species
Acanthophysium abietis also occurs on conifers and has cylindric, thick-walled acanthophyses and smooth, amyloid spores, but habit is different (pulvinate with indeterminate adnate margins as opposed to disciform with determinate raised margins), habitat is mostly fir and hemlock in the Pacific Northwest, as opposed to Douglas-fir, spores are larger and nearly round as opposed to oval, basidia are larger, acanthophyses are narrower, and pseudocystidia are subcylindric ampulliform (as opposed to flexuous-cylindric) and may have an apical bulb, (Lemke).
