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Species Information
Summary: Features include a small cup with white flexuous [wavy] hairs on the exterior and the margin, a bright orange-yellow upper surface, a short stem, gregarious growth on bark and wood of conifers, and microscopic characters including relatively small spores. This is the most common Lachnellula in the Pacific Northwest (Trudell(4)). Bingham(2) have provided means of separating this species from Lachnellula calyciformis (see SIMILAR), but Seaver(2) says this, "The differences are so slight that it seems to the writer a question whether or not they should be separated."
It is found in WA (Kanouse), NF, CO, MT, and PA, (Seaver). There are collections from BC at the Pacific Forestry Centre and at the University of British Columbia.
Upper surface: reaching 0.4cm across but often much smaller, at first nearly spherical, becoming expanded and shallow cup-shaped, or nearly flat; spore bearing surface bright orange-yellow; margin fringed with white hairs, (Seaver), creamy yellow (Trudell), 0.05-0.55cm across (Bingham(2))
Underside: with white flexuose hairs (Seaver), white or pale yellow (Trudell), "light yellow, but appearing white due to a covering of white hairs which may become detached as the fungus ages", (Haines)
Stem: short-stemmed (Seaver), up to 0.25cm long (Bingham(2))
Microscopic: spores 6-8 x 2.5-3 microns (Trudell), spores 6-10 x 3-4 microns, narrow-elliptic, colorless, uniseriate or biseriate; asci reaching a length of 60-95 microns and a width of 3-4 microns, cylindric or subcylindric; paraphyses clavate, reaching a width of 2-5 microns at tip; hairs reaching a length of 100 microns and a width of 2-3 microns, colorless, blunt or attenuated, externally covered with coarse granules, (Seaver), spores 5.0-9.5 x 2.0-4.0 microns, elliptic to oval, indistinctly biguttulate; paraphysis 47.5-94.5 x 1.0-3.5 microns, tips usually swollen, (Bingham(2)), spores 6-8 x 2.5-3.0 microns, various numbers of refractive droplets, commonly 2, uniseriate; asci 55-70 x 4.5-5 microns, cylindric with slightly narrowed stalk; paraphyses "filiform or sometimes slightly swollen near the apex", median diameter 2-2.5 microns, often branched near base, usually colorless but containing yellow droplets, thin-walled, usually non-septate; hairs 4-5 microns wide, up to 150 microns long, cylindric with obtuse apices, "conspicuously roughened, moderately thin-walled, multiseptate", septa forming 15-30 micron cells, (Haines)
Habitat / Range
gregarious on bark and wood of conifers (Seaver), on branches of Abies (fir), Pinus (pine), and Tsuga (hemlock), (Trudell), it is most commonly found on Abies species but also occurs on Pinus and Tsuga, "It has never been known to be associated with cankers of living trees, although it may appear on quite recently killed trees.", (Haines)
Similar Species
Lachnellula calyciformis has spores 4.0-7.5 x 1.5-3.5 microns, and paraphyses with tips that are usually unswollen. Fruitbodies are 0.05-0.20cm across, stems are short, external hairs persistent (lost with age in L. agassizii), and there are 1 or a few fruitbodies from a common base (1-12 fruitbodies from a common base in L. agassizii), (Bingham(2)). According to Desjardin(6), its spores are 5-7 x 2.5-3 microns and it grows on the bark of dead conifers including true fir. According to Hansen, L.(1) it grows mostly on Abies but also on Picea and Pinus, spores are 4.5-6.5 x 2.5-3 microns and have 2 droplets, asci are inamyloid and paraphyses are filiform and 1.5 microns wide. Lachnellula occidentalis and Lachnellula willkommii have larger spores. Lachnellula suecica has round spores. Lachnellula subtilissima has also been identified by O. Ceska from British Columbia. According to Hansen, L.(1), it grows on conifer branches, spores are 6-9 x 2-2.5 microns without droplets, asci have an amyloid pore, and paraphyses are filiform. Lachnellula gallica (P. Karst. & Hariot) Dennis has also been identified from BC by O. Ceska. According to Hansen, L.(1), it grows on branches of Abies (true fir), spores are 8-10 x 5-6.5 microns, and paraphyses are filiform.
