Gloeocystidiellum leucoxanthum (Bres.) Boidin
no common name
Stereaceae

Species account author: Ian Gibson.
Extracted from Matchmaker: Mushrooms of the Pacific Northwest.

Introduction to the Macrofungi

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Map

E-Flora BC Static Map

Distribution of Gloeocystidiellum leucoxanthum
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Species Information

Summary:
Features include 1) resupinate growth on hardwood of a firmly attached fruitbody that is whitish to ocher-brown color with a smooth to tuberculate surface, 2) oblong to suballantoid, smooth, amyloid spores, 3) basidia narrowing in the basal direction, 4) paraphysoid hyphae often between the basidia, 5) tubular gloeocystidia with granular, oily, yellowish contents, 6) a monomitic hyphal system, the hyphae with clamp connections, and 7) crystals in the trama of old fruitbodies. The name Megalocystidium leucoxanthum (Bres.) Julich is accepted by Ginns(24), but Stalpers(2) still called it Gloeocystidiellum leucoxanthum, as did the online Species Fungorum, accessed May 31, 2016.
Microscopic:
SPORES 12-20 x 4.5-7 microns, oblong to suballantoid, adaxial side somewhat concave, smooth, amyloid, thin-walled; BASIDIA normally 4-spored, 40-60 x 6-8 microns, clavate, narrowing toward base, with basal clamp connection; paraphysoid hyphae frequently occurring between the basidia; GLOEOCYSTIDIA (= pseudocystidia) numerous, 100-150 x 8-15 microns, shorter when young, occasionally broader ones can be found, tubular, sinuose, contents granular, oily, yellowish in water and KOH, often with moniliform apical appendices; HYPHAE monomitic 2-3.5 microns wide, "with thin or somewhat thickened walls", with clamp connections, BASAL HYPHAE forming layer about 100 microns thick "of irregularly intertwined hyphal branches in a rather loose tissue, subhymenial trama denser; old fruitbodies with plenty of crystals in the trama context", (Eriksson), SPORES (12.8)15.2-17.6(21.0) x 4.5-7.0 microns, elliptic to suballantoid, smooth, amyloid, easily collapsed, with distinct, blunt apiculus; BASIDIA 4-spored, 45-65 x 5.0-7.5 microns, clavate, sterigmata up to 5.0 microns long; GLOEOCYSTIDIA numerous, 60-160 x 10-16 microns, "cylindric to subfusoid, some with constrictions and some with a bulb at the apex, the walls thin to 0.5 microns thick, the contents yellow in KOH, granular, sulfo-negative, but many appear to be empty"; HYPHIDIA scattered, 2-2.6 microns wide, filiform, simple, projecting up to 16 microns; HYPHAE monomitic, 2.5-5.0(5.5) microns wide, "with clamp connections, the walls thin, distinct, forming a loosely interwoven to compact, distinct, parallel layer about 50-100 microns thick next to substrate"; marginal hyphae weakly amyloid en masse; gloeoplerous hyphae in margin, (Ginns(24))
Notes:
Collections were examined from BC, WA, OR, ID, AB, MB, NB, NF, ON, YT, AK, AZ, CA, CO, MN, MT, NH, and WI, (Ginns(24)). It has been found in Europe including Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, and central Europe, (Eriksson), and including France (Bourdot).

Habitat and Range

SIMILAR SPECIES
Megalocystidium montanum has finely verrucose spores measuring (8.4)9.6-12.0(14.0) x (4.0)4.4-5.6(6.0) microns that are elliptic, with warts 0.2 microns tall and 0.2-0.3 microns wide, (Ginns(24)). The European species Gloeocystidiellum luridum (also known as Megalocystidium luridum) has elliptic spores measuring 8-10 microns long, (Eriksson). Spores of G. luridum are 7-10(12) microns long, (Ginns(24)). Gloeocystidiellum porosum and G. clavuligerum have verrucose spores, (Eriksson). Gloiothele lactescens, Conferticium ochraceum, and Conferticium ravum lack clamp connections and the last has verrucose spores (although the ornamentation is not easy to see), (Eriksson).
Habitat
typically on bark and wood of twigs, branches, and small stems, up to 3cm wide, lying on the ground, predominantly on amentiferous hosts, especially Alnus (alder), Betula (birch), Quercus (oak), Populus, and Salix(willow), one report on conifer wood; associated with a white rot, (Ginns(24)), on hardwoods, recorded on Acer saccharum (Sugar Maple), Alnus rugosa var. americana (Speckled Alder), A. sinuata (Sitka Alder), Picea engelmannii (Engelmann Spruce), (needs confirmation), Populus tremuloides (Quaking Aspen), Quercus chrysolepis (Canyon Live Oak), Q. hypoleucoides (Silverleaf Oak), Q. garryana (Oregon White Oak), associated with a white rot, (Ginns(5)), in subalpine habits, especially on Alnus viridis (Green Alder) (central Europe), or dead branches of Salix (willow) (Scandinavia), the former tending to have longer spores (15-20 microns), and the latter tending to have shorter spores (12-15 microns), other substrates include Alnus glutinosa (European Alder), Populus tremula (European Aspen), Corylus (hazel); when growing on barked branches "appearing through the lenticells and other holes in the bark", (Eriksson), probably all year (Buczacki)

Synonyms

Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Hypochnus ferrugineus (Pers. per Pers.: Fr.) Fr.
Thelephora ferruginea Pers.