Near the entrance to Gold creek pond loop trail. Abundantly fruiting/covering nearly all portions of a fallen alpine fir.
Fruiting bodies are firm/solid(not gelatinous). Pronounced stem present with pale ridged cup margins.
Odor/taste: not distinct.
Harvested 4 branches densely covered in fruiting bodies.
Removed two very small fruiting bodies and performed crush mount on a glass slide in 3% KOH.
Initially called this collection Pithya vulgaris(prior to microscopy) due to fir host and morphology. Spore information proves otherwise. See Ascomycete Fungi of NA pg. 226.
MICROSCOPY:
Spores: Narrowly Elliptical. Small, clear, smooth.
Asci: 8 spored, small. Thin tapered bases.
Paraphyses: equal, without swollen tips. Not exceedingly long.
Dehydrated all specimens attached to host substrates and bagged for herbarium collection/genetic record.
My corresponding Mushroomobserver observation below-
Found in a broadleaf woodland on limestone