eickwort's Identifications

Relevant diagnostic traits (Ramos et al., 2008):

• Imperfect fruitbody (anamorph) semi-spherical or cushion shaped, soft and fleshy at first, velvety to the touch, yellowish brown to golden brown, later dark brownish and the inner parts totally disintegrating to a mass of chlamydospores, and by age the whole fruit-body is transformed to this kind of spores.
• Context up to 3-5 cm thick, dark rusty brown, concentrically zonate, fibrous in texture, watery and spongy when fresh, hard and brittle when dry, with a silky sheen, sometimes crumbling into a mass of chlamydospores. Tube layer non-stratified, distinct from the context, golden brown, brittle when dry, up to 15 mm thick.
• Chlamydospores 10-15 µm in diam., irregular, globose to pyriform, very thick-walled, golden brown to reddish brown.

Observation notes:

• Fruiting body had thick outer crust, yet was almost spongy if pressed
  
• Fruiting body measure about 0.5 meters lengthwise (see third picture for reference)
• When the outer crust is removed, chlamydospores are liable to spread exceedingly easily; almost reminiscent of Stemonitis spp. in dispersal
  
• Chlamydospores are indeed irregular, with shapes in various forms, including highly eccentric, spherical, hemispherical, or even lemon shaped
  
• Apart from highly eccentric forms, the spores fit within the 10-15 µm range on the longest axis, supporting the prior description
  
• A few spores had small projections that almost convinced me to look into various Glomeromycota taxa. This was compounded by the fact that some blastospores seem to be present.
  
• Blackens with KOH application
  
• I still have a sizable specimen for sample requests