Micro

Macro

Dear Enrique,

the ascospores does have a high lipid content. Is the foto made in H2O ?

Piotr

Yes! Only water, Piotr

Hi Enrique

The excipular texture is not at all that of a Durella. I think I know what you have: Phaeangella "semilichenia". The species name is a joke. Guy Marson knows this species since about the first time we met, and we finally called it so because drought-tolerant discos like this one like to grow in the habitats of lichens.

For a long time we had no genus for it, only we placed it in the Encoelioideae (but in my Helotiales-key it is still as "D." "semilichenia", as a Durella!). Later I detected that Phaeangella ulicis is very very similar. I even think that your specimen is Ph. ulicis, and perhaps all our finds also, which were mainly on Prunus spinosa, but also on Crataegus and Sorbus. The paraphyses vary between capitate (on Rosaceae) and uninflated (on Ulex). Yours are capitate....

You can test with KOH: a faint olivaceous-brownish sap should extrude into the medium.

Wonderful collection! I would like to note the collection data, please.

Zotto

Yes, Zotto. An clearly olivaceous sap extrude from the ascomata in KOH. Dennis says (British Ascomycetes) that the paraphyses have a content that become wine-red in KOH, but I can't see this reaction (only olivaceous as you say me). My collection fits well with your drawings of Phaeangella semilichenia. Have you studied holotypus of Ph. ulicis?
Data collection: Los Torollos (Asturias) Spain, 43º 21' 786 N , 005º 54' 952 W, 250 m, 30-I-2010, on Ulex europaeus branches, ERD-5054.
There is any lichens close to my ascomata!!
Do yo like my images at bigger resolution?
Enrique

So you mean there is no lichen around? That may be :-) But the fungus could be confused with a Buellia etc.

Yes, please send me your images. I was unaware of Dennis' statement, and no: I did not study the type.

In the Ulex find by Jean-Paul Priou I noted "KOH : deep honey-yellow to redbrown dissolved in medium (ionomidotic)".

Zotto

Yes. No lichen around the apothecia. Only Hysterium angustatum hysterothecia. There is any ionomidotic reaction on my collection and my find is clearly on Ulex branches.
Many thanks!
Enrique

Enrique, your idea was good. I must correct, my idea of Phaeangella is most probably erroneous. After Dennis the crimson colour is not a pigment dissloved in the medium but a colour change of the excipular cells. I have actually some collections from SW-USA which fit not too badly to Phaeangella. They have biguttulate spores similar as Ellis & Ellis depicts them in Phaeangella ulicis, and they have the excipular colour change. I noted: Paraphyses in KOH with lilac-violet exudate sheath. Purplish-brown exudate of paraph. and excipulum KOH-inert but turning more lilac-violet.

The present find came from Arizona, Grand Canyon, on xeric Quercus gambelii branch. Same species on Acer, Amelanchier, Populus tremuloides, and Ribes cereum.