[N.B. since I wrote this post Datronia scutellata has been moved to the genus Datroniella - see below for reference]
Some Datronia scutellata are prettier than others. |
One of the first was a ladder of exquisite little polypores, none bigger than my thumbnail. At first I thought they were Perenniporia ohiensis, a diminutive shelf fungus that that looks like an elf's version of Fomes fomentarius, but has thick-walled pores. The little guys I'd found growing on a dead alder were not, however, hoof-shaped, nor did they have those characteristic well-spaced Perenniporia pores. Which made mine Datronia scutellata.
When growing on horizontal branches, Datronia scutellata can be almost cap-free. |
Datronia scutellata, a diminutive polypore, rarely measures more than 2 cm across. |
References
Li, H.J., Cui, B.K., Dai, Y.C.Taxonomy and multi-gene phylogeny of Datronia (Polyporales, Basidiomycota), Persoonia.
2014 Jun; 32: 170–182.
I think I may have found fungus today in my alder swamp. Thanks for this informative post!
ReplyDeleteGlad I could help!
DeleteI went back to the alder thicket today and took some photos of the Datronia scutellata fungi. I'm posting them on Flickr in the next few minutes. Take a look.
DeleteFinding this fungus now brings my property checklist to about 38 more or less confidently identified species.
Yes - lovely clear shots! Also, it's now called Datroniella scutellata. Sequencing is happening so fast it's hard to keep up!
DeleteThanks for stopping by to take a look! I'll make the nomenclature change.
Delete