I'm not sure what you mean by "tints." It is almost impossible to stain the cell walls of genera like Lachnum and Hymenoscyphous, which are hyaline. But you can easiiy stain the cytoplasm, thus often allowing you to see thin septa within ascospores,which remain hyaline and unstained. Two typical cytoplasmic stains are phloxine or erythromcin. Sometimes cotton blue will stain cytoplasm, and often it is used to stain markings on ascospores (particularly if the cotton blue is in lactic acid or lactophenol and the slide then gently heated). Dark excipular cells are common in the Dermateacfeae and Mollisiaceae. A number of genera also have dark pigmented ascospore walls.If those spores are septate, the septal walls are also usually pigmented, making it easy to count the number of cells in an ascospore.

Dick

Sorry. It is only a bad translation caused by my poor level of english. I was answering exactly about how to stain the hyaline walls of certain genera. I usually use Phloxibe B alcoholic heated, but I don't obtain so good results with that genera as with ohter genera. I haven't tested erythromicin. I use cotton blue with lactophenol to stain the sporal ornamentation of Scutellinia, Cheylimenia, etc.

What about "permanganato potásico"? It work ok with hyaline basidiomycetes.

Thank you, and sorry again

Dear Miguel,

As I said, I know of no way to easily stain hyaline walls. Sometimes a background reagent (ink for example) is useful to see hyaline walls (and also gel layers on walls), but it does not stain the wall, only allows you to see it in better contrast with the background. My solution is to use phase microscopy.

Dick

Thank you again Richard, you are very kind.

Best regards.

Hi Miguel

my answer to your question is simple: you should examine fungi in the living state in pure water, i.e. to apply as little pressure as possible. This vital observing rarely needs any staining agents in order to see the walls. Only in guttulate paraphyses or spores the septa are difficult to see. There I recommend as Dick to stain the plasma which lets the septa become visible as unstained regions. Concerning croziers at the ascus base, living material easily allows to see them while for dead material the best is to treat it with KOH and add Congn Red which usually quite well stains the walls and especially the septa (also septa of paraphyses).

best regards
Zotto

Hi Zotto

I know your excellent works and I have read something about your theory on the vital taxonomy, very interesting, and we have the habit of being the first work that we look when we try to confirm an ascomycete, like for example S. jurana.

Thank you very much for your indications, the next time I study a species of these genres I will follow your guidelines.

Best regards,