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Species Information
Summary: Deconica caricicola is characterized by small size and habitat on Carex, a well-developed gelatinous layer on the ochraceous cap, a distinct but small stem, and a violaceous umber spore deposit, (Watling). The online Species Fungorum, accessed August 26, 2017 gives the current name as Deconica caricicola (P.D. Orton) Redhead.
It is found at least in BC (Redhead(9)), QC, and ON, (Redhead(33)).
Gills: adnate, moderately spaced, moderate breadth, subgills in 2 tiers; buff, sometimes with a pinkish tint, with paler edges, (Redhead(33)), broadly adnate, more rarely slightly emarginate or with decurrent tooth, not crowded; "pale clay then tinged umber or violaceous umber", (Watling)
Stem: 0.1-0.3cm x 0.02-0.05cm, curved to one side, equal or widening downwards, "arising from a basal pad of whitish cottony mycelium"; umber; dry, finely fibrillose to pruinose, (Redhead(33)), 0.1-0.3cm x 0.025-0.05cm, short, often slightly eccentric, curved; pinkish ochraceous or tinged violaceous umber, sometimes redder than cap; "striate with silky fibrils as on cap in upper part", base radially strigose-tomentose (Watling)
Odor: not distinctive (Redhead(33))
Microscopic spores: spores 5.5-6.9 x 3-4.5 microns, broadly oval to elliptic or oboval in face view, narrowly oval to elliptic in side view, smooth, violaceous brown in KOH and Melzer''s reagent, walls pronounced, germ pore well developed, apiculus minute; basidia 4-spored, projecting when mature, 14-20 x 5.7-6.4 microns, clavate; cheilocystidia abundant, forming a sterile margin, 12-25.5 x 4.5-6 microns, colorless, thin-walled, "base clavate to short sphaeropedunculate, with an elongated, undulating neck"; gill trama: hyphae subparallel, similar to cap trama hyphae; subpellis: hyphae somewhat ascending, interwoven, thin-walled, colorless, smooth, clamped, 3-3.5 microns wide, cap trama: hyphae densely interwoven, noninflated, 3.6-6.3 microns wide, smooth, walls pale brown, pronounced; cap cuticle an open, loosely interwoven, non-gelatinized, thin layer "of noninflated, clamped, moderately incrusted hyphae and repent hyphal ends", 3.6-6.3 microns wide, over a thick gelatinized subpellis, walls pronounced, pale brown; caulopellis: hyphae loosely interwoven to subparallel, 3.5-5.5 microns in diameter, noninflated, smooth, clamped, walls slightly thickened, vinaceous brown, loose ends sometimes cystidioform; stem trama: "hyphae parallel, often short-celled, inflated", up to 10 microns wide, "walls pronounced, faintly pigmented, smooth, with frequent anastomoses"; basal mycelium: hyphae 2.5-4.5 microns wide, "densely to loosely interwoven, thin-walled, clamped", colorless, noninflated, densely covered by colorless to pale yellowish granular incrustations, (Redhead(33)), 5.5-7.5 x 3-4(4.5) microns, elliptic - almond-shaped or slightly fusiform [spindle-shaped], with small germ pore; basidia 4-spored, 14-18 x 5-6 microns; cheilocystidia small, 21-32 x 5-7 microns, narrow lageniform, apex 2-4(5) microns, sometimes slightly irregularly swollen, (Watling)
Spore deposit: brown vinaceous to fawn when dried (Redhead(33)), violaceous umber (Watling)
Habitat / Range
on Carex (sedge), on grass and Juncus, (Redhead(9) for BC), scattered on senescent stems and leaves of Scirpus rubrotinctus, Juncus effusus, Juncus sp., and Carex sp. "in humid enclosed spaces at the bases of hummocks in drying temporary ponds in pastures", (Redhead(33) for Quebec and Ontario), on standing dead stems of Carex riparius, (Watling for Britain)
Similar Species
Deconica phillipsii lacks the well-developed gelatinous layer on the cap, and has paler, narrower spores (5-7 x 2.7-3.5 microns), (Redhead(33)).
