
Well, it seems like I made quite a discovery! Here is the report back which I had today from our local plants expert, Ian Evans, to whom I had given a sample to see if he could arrange to have it identified:
Helen
John Blunt was most interested to see your fungus. It is called Thuemenidium atropurpureum, a close relative of the earth tongues, which he has not seen for nearly thirty years. He had it at Nedd in 1981 and 1983, and has not seen it anywhere since. It can grow up to 10cm high; these were young specimens, but were producung spores, which are diagnostically colourless. He said 'compliments to the collector on very good collecting technique'. The turf in which you collected it was full of mountain everlasting Antennaria dioica (the white-edged rosettes in your photos.), which I always regard as an indication of some base-enrichment, probably in this case from wind-blown shell sand. A very nice find.
I'm really chuffed! I found something rather rare.
5 reactions
1 From FoFo - 15/11/2011, 20:31
2 From Ruth Marsh - 15/11/2011, 22:54
3 From Amanda - 16/11/2011, 07:02
4 From Maggie - 16/11/2011, 10:19
5 From Alexandra - 16/11/2011, 23:37