Search for macrofungi on Sheepleas common

Fungal Foray at Sheeplease  24^th October 2010  

We returned to Sheeplease again this year, as usual, with Maurice Moss as our stalwart guide. The weather was fine, resulting in our best turnout ever, with over thirty members attending. It is interesting to compare our fungal discoveries with those of last year: although we identified about thirty species on each occasion, only eight of last year’s finds were replicated., namely, the magpie, artist’s bracket, poison pie, beech and woolly milkcaps, common bonnet, porcelain and candlesnuff fungi. Also, for the record, the woolly milkcap, Lactarius torminosus, was not very woolly owing to wear-and-tear, and the specimens of the normally beautiful porcelain fungus, Oudemansiella mucida, were ragged indeed. We found many more specimens of the latter last year, in groups high up on horizontal branches of beech. As for the striking magpie cap, Coprinus picaceus, which was present last year in abundance, we came across just one specimen, and this at the end of its tether. For those who are interested, the lists of fungi found on each occasion can be found on our website.                                                                                       

The fact that we found a number of different species this year may have been due to several factors, such as temperature, humidity, time of year (our visit was a week later this year), or just that we were looking in different places!  Some edible species were discovered, such as the blushing wood mushroom, Agaricus silvaticus, the glistening inkcap, Coprinus micaceus, the wood blewitt, Lepista nuda, and the wood hedgehog,

Hydnum repandum. It was not recorded, however, how many took some home for consumption!

Piptoporus betulinus

Of the bracket fungi which we found two were of special interest. First, the artist’s fungus, Ganoderma applanatum, which has been used as a drawing medium because of its easily marked gill surface. Using a sharp implement, we were able to indeed confirm that the surface changes from light to dark brown, producing visible lines and shading. Second, the birch polypore or razor strop fungus, Piptoporus betulinus, whose velvety cut surface was used to give a fine edge to cut-throat  razors, although we did not put this to the test! A necklace of P. betulinus was found among the possessions of  Ötzi, whose five thousand year-old mummified body was discovered a number of years ago in the Italian Tyrol. It is thought that he may have carried it as a firelighter, because both this fungus and the tinder fungus, Fomes fomentarius, have been utilized for this purpose, although a medicinal use has also been suggested. 

Certainly, Piptoporus and Ganoderma have been investigated intensively for therapeutic factors. For example, piptamine is an antibiotic produced against Bacillis subtilis and Escherichia coli by Piptoporus, whilst its nucleic acid extracts exhibit antiviral activity by stimulating interferon production. We can only guess at what Ötzi used the pieces of his necklace for: perhaps to light a fire, or even, in an emergency, to prepare an infusion with which to wash wounds. We shall never know.  

Dr G Godfrey (Deputy Chairman)

Fungi found at Sheepleas, October 24^th 2010

Agaricus silvaticus – Blushing Wood Mushroom

Amanita strobiliformis – Warted Amanita

Bisporella citrina – Lemon Disco

Bjerkandera adjusta – Smoky Bracket

Chondrostereum purpureum – Silverleaf Fungus

Coprinus micaceus – Glistening Inkcap

Coprinus picaceus – the Magpie

Cortinarius decipiens – Sepia Webcap

Crepidotus variabilis – Variable Oysterling

Daedaliopsis confragosa – Blushing Bracket

Ganoderma applanatum – Artist’s Bracket

Hebeloma crustuliniforme – Poison Pie

Helvella crispa – White Saddle

Hemimycena lactea – Milky Bonnet

Hydnum repandum – Wood Hedgehog

Hygrophorus eburneus – Ivory Woodwax

Hypoxylon fragiforme – Beech Woodwart

Inocybe cookei – Straw fibrecap

Inocybe erubescens – Deadly Fibrecap

Lactarius blennius – Beech Milkcap

Lactarius torminosus – Woolly Milkcap

Lepista nuda – Wood Blewit

Marasmius epiphyllus – Leaf Parachute

Mycena vitilis – Snapping Bonnet

Mycena galericulata – Common Bonnet

Oudemansiella mucida – Porcelain Fungus

Piptoporus betulinus – Birch Polypore/ Razorstrop fungus

Ramaria stricta – Upright Coral

Russula nobilis – Beechwood Sickener

Stereum r;ugosum – Bleeding Broadleaf Crust

Trametes versicolor – Turkey Tail

Tricholoma virgatum – Ashen Knight

Xylaria hypoxylon – Candlesnuff Fungus

The lichen on a dead tree trunk was probably Peltigera membranacea