Summary:
Stromatocyphella conglobata produces minute basidiomycete cups that are densely gregarious on a common stem, (pendant clusters on gelatinous trunk), protruding from lenticels or cracks in the bark of dead branches, usually of alder.
It is found at least in BC, NB, ON, PQ, MI, NH, NY, and PA, (Ginns).
Upper surface:
0.2-0.3cm diameter, 0.2-0.3cm high, somewhat cup-like dark gray receptacles arising from lenticels, 2-16 to a cluster, fused in lower part or even to the upper edge, arising from a common sclerotic structure 0.1-0.2cm in diameter on the wood or cambium, (Cooke), 0.04-0.12cm in diameter, approximately hemispheric reddish caramel cups, densely gregarious on a common stem, erupting in groups of 5-25 from lenticels in the bark; spore-bearing inner surface concave, reddish caramel like cap or paler honey brown, smooth and satiny; when wet margins appear bald or finely pruinose, (Thorn)
Underside:
hairs on outer surface of receptacle brown, (Cooke), reddish caramel; on drying the margins roll inward and the whole fruit body becomes silvery, the exterior appearing pruinose to tomentose, (Thorn)
Stem:
rarely short-stemmed or subsessile (Cooke), bases of cups darker, and more coarsely pruinose to tomentose with brown hairs, (Thorn)
Microscopic:
spores 7-10 x 3-3.5 microns, cylindric, smooth, apiculate, colorless; basidia appearing at first as fusiform (spindle-shaped) structures with granular contents, finally 20-25 x 7-9 microns, 4-spored, with sterigmata 6-7 microns long; clamp connections present in subhymenial tissue, surface hairs irregular in length, granule incrusted, with clamp connections, (Cooke), (6.0)8.0-10.0 x 3.0-3.8 microns, cylindric, dented on one side or slightly curved, smooth, inamyloid; basidia 4-spored, 23-28 x 6-7.5 microns, colorless, clavate; cystidia not seen, (Thorn)
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