Lentaria pinicola (Burt) R.H. Petersen
no common name
Lentariaceae
Species account author: Ian Gibson.
Extracted from Matchmaker: Mushrooms of the Pacific Northwest.
Introduction to the Macrofungi
no common name
Lentariaceae
Species account author: Ian Gibson.
Extracted from Matchmaker: Mushrooms of the Pacific Northwest.
Introduction to the Macrofungi
Species Information
Summary:
Lentaria pinicola group produces small fruitbodies that are repeatedly branched, the branches light yellow to pale tan or bronze, any part turning darker brown with handling or aging, the tips pale yellow when young. A stem is sometimes present. It arises from a broad basal mat and a tangle of extensive white rhizomorphs, on rotting conifer wood, often clustered or in tufts. Spores are smooth, and there are monomitic hyphae in the basal mat with short sharp spines. The online Species Fungorum, accessed September 4, 2017, gives Ramaria pinicola (Burt) Corner as the current name but MycoBank, accessed the same day gave both names as equivalent.
Odor:
earthy (Scates-Barnhart), faintly earthy (Marr)
Taste:
slightly bitter (Marr, Scates-Barnhart)
Microscopic:
spores 7.7-9.3 x 4.5-5.7 microns, elliptic to subovoid, smooth (without ornamentation), contents homogeneous, wall up to 0.4 microns wide, somewhat thinner at distal end, apiculus prominent, eccentric, and rounded-truncate; hyphae of basal mat 2.5-5.5 microns wide, colorless, conspicuously clamped, thin-walled to somewhat thick-walled (up to 1 micron thick), often ornamented with small sharp cyanophilic scattered spines, inflated clamp connections common, hyphae of rhizomorphic strands also ornamented, (Petersen), 8-12 x 4-6 microns, clamp connections present, rhizomorphic strands monomitic, (Scates-Barnhart), spores 8-12 x 4-6 microns, average 9.2 x 4.8 microns, subcylindric to oval, smooth, slightly thick-walled, contents homogeneous or one or two droplets, wall and content cyanophilic; basidia 2-4-spored (mostly 4-spored), 40-69 x 7-11 microns, clavate, clamped, contents granular and cyanophilic; clamp connections present; rhizomorphic strands monomitic, (Marr)
Spore Deposit:
golden yellow'' (Marr, color from Kornerup(2))
Notes:
Distribution includes central and western North America and the type collection is from ID, (Petersen). It is common in the woods of western WA (Marr). There are collections from BC (as Ramaria pinicola) at the University of British Columbia, and from WA, OR, and CA, (as Ramaria pinicola) at Oregon State University.
EDIBILITY
inedible (Scates-Barnhart)
Habitat and Range
SIMILAR SPECIES
Lentaria epichnoa has narrower spores. Lentaria byssiseda is a whitish to pinkish-tan species that often grows on wood, few-branched or many-branched, often with green-tinged branch tips, arising from a small or spreading white mycelial patch and often with rhizomorphs: spores measure 10-18 x 3-6 microns, (Corner(2)). It is mentioned by Arora for California, but Corner(3) synonymizes it with L. soluta and expresses doubts about the independence of L. soluta from L. surculus. See also SIMILAR section of Ramaria gracilis and Ramaria stricta var. stricta.Habitat
usually on rotting coniferous wood, often smaller pieces, fall, (Scates-Barnhart), type on rotten Pinus contorta, (Petersen), growing on small branches, twig litter or cones under Tsuga heterophylla (Western Hemlock) and Douglas-fir, (Marr)
Synonyms
Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Clavaria pinicola Burt
Clavaria stillingeri Coker
Cyathus denudatus (Fr.) Spreng.
Nidularia denudata Fr.
Ramaria pinicola (Burt) Corner