vinson's Identifications

This collection was made on 09/30/20 at the coordinates 30.416720, -91.163957, and its collection number is AR09302002. This specimen was collected at Bird Refuge located on LSU’s campus in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on a fallen tree found about 20 feet to the left off of the main trail (about 15 feet into the trail), toward the water. The surrounding trees are predominantly oak trees with some pine trees, and there were no other sightings of the same specimen. The specimen was found attached to a fallen oak tree branch that appeared to be extensively decayed (wood was very wet and soft despite a lack of rain.) On the limb, the specimen was growing gregariously to imbricate with almost the entire branch covered in the fungus. With no stipe, or sessile, the specimen was found connected to the tree by the pileus. The pileus had an irregular shape, varying from each individual fruiting body to the next. Generally speaking, they seemed to be cup-shaped with an undulating margin. The pileus ranged in size from 2-9cm across. The inner surface of the pileus was a deep purple color, and it was smooth and rubbery in texture. The outer surface was a light brown color, and it was smooth and velvety. There was a white powder on the outer surface of the specimen when collected, but that powder was gone upon drying and freezing. The pileus was very flexible and not rigid, but it did not tear easily. The context flesh was thin and moist, measuring only 0.1mm, with a jelly-like texture. No surface of the fungus bruised when touched or damaged. The specimen had an earthy smell, but no flavor. A spore print revealed that the collected specimen produces white spores.

Tissue from WDB31 resembled that of nitrile gloves. It made no spore print and was deceivingly dense, as if it could bounce like a rubber ball. Solitary is what I reported for the growth habit because although it resembled known gregarious species, it’s substrate was more sandy so identification could not be guaranteed.

JC 10102018-02
On Petri dish was possible to observe black and white drops. This drops contained conidia. The conida are equally called and colored with apical hyaline appendages of several size. Also the conidia has it alone pedicel.