Butser Hill
Sat 24 Apr 2010
Helicobasidium purpureum
Photo © Sue Rogerson
Field event ID HF1001
OS Grid areas: SU6917 SU6918
Weather: A very nice warm day with a slight breeze and as the preceding week was also warm with no rain the conditions were rather dry.
New Records:
New to HFRG: Hypoxylon cercidicola, Hypoxylon petriniae
Report: (Alan Lucas)As there were only three of us this week and the hill was very dry we decided that we might find more fungi down the hill at Blagden and Lowtons Copses known locally as Bluebell Wood which some of us visited for a short time last year. The bluebells had just started to come out with the wood anemone already in flower Sue found a small area with some 15 or so toothworts growing in amongst them. The best fungi finds were Helicobasidium purpureum found by Alan which has unusual basidia being as the name suggests coiled with two horn like sterigmata, Gloeobasidium leucoxanthum found by Sue often has a strong smell of anise as this one did and last but not least Sistotrema brinkmannii was a joint find when Sue found the host Datronia mollis and Alan noticed the fungus growing on it.
Note (SJS): Although I have noted two species as new to the group I should point out that both species along with Biscogniauxia anceps were found for the first time in Hampshire this year. The first Hampshire record for H cercidicola and B anceps was found by Martyn Ainsworth at Blashford a month ago when accompanied by Alan and Sue. I saw H cercidicola for the first time with Alan, Sue and Martyn in Moravia in the Czech Republic where it was called appropriately H moravicus. After Martyn alerted Alan to these species at Blashford Alan promptly found all three at Yeoll's Copse near Lovedean the following week which suggests they may be widespread. If you want to delve into these species have look at this excellent website Pyrenomycetes .
Species list: Annulohypoxylon multiforme, Arachnopeziza aurata, Auricularia auricula-judae, Biscogniauxia nummularia, Botryobasidium subcoronatum, Daldinia concentrica, Datronia mollis, Diatrypella favacea, Eichleriella deglubens, Fuscoporia ferrea, Ganoderma australe, Helicobasidium purpureum, Heterobasidion annosum, Hymenochaete corrugata, Hypoxylon cercidicola, Hypoxylon fuscum, Hypoxylon petriniae, Lachnum niveum, Lachnum virgineum, Megalocystidium leucoxanthum, Peniophora limitata, Peniophora lycii, Polydesmia pruinosa, Polyporus ciliatus, Schizopora paradoxa, Sistotrema brinkmannii, Skeletocutis vulgaris, Stereum hirsutum, Trametes ochracea, Trechispora mollusca, Vuilleminia comedens, Xylaria carpophila