Lentaria micheneri

[ Basidiomycetes > Phallales > Gomphaceae > Lentaria . . . ]

by Michael Kuo

This infrequently described coral mushroom has a white spore print and fairly tough flesh--features that help to define the genus Lentaria. Lentaria micheneri is found in eastern North America under oaks, beech, or pines; it differs from the better known and more widely distributed Lentaria byssiseda in its much shorter spores.

Lentaria patouillardii differs only in its skinnier spores, which measure 7-10 x 2-2.5 µ.

Description:

Ecology: Uncertain; possibly mycorrhizal, but with a growth pattern and copious, spreading mycelium suggestive of a saprobe; growing in leaf litter or needle duff; appearing alone or scattered; summer and fall; possibly widely distributed in eastern North America (precise range uncertain since it is probably often identified as Lentaria byssiseda).

Fruiting Body: 2-4 cm high; 1-2.5 cm wide; base well developed; branching repeatedly.

Branches: Vertically oriented; tightly packed; smooth or very finely velvety in patches; very pale orange, becoming orangish buff to yellowish or pale tan; tips colored like the branches, often sharp and forked.

Base: Fairly well developed; white below; colored like the branches above; attached to copious white mycelium.

Flesh: Whitish; tough.

Odor and Taste: Odor not distinctive; taste bitter.

Spore Print: White.

Chemical Reactions: Iron salts green on branches.

Microscopic Features: Spores 8-9 x 3-4 µ; stretched-elliptical; smooth. Clamp connections present. Thick-walled hyphae present.

REFERENCES: (Berkeley & Curtis, 1873) Corner, 1950. (Saccardo, 1888; Coker, 1923; Corner, 1950; Smith, Smith & Weber, 1981; Phillips, 1991/2005.) Herb. Kuo 09220405.

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Kuo, M. (2009, May). Lentaria micheneri. Retrieved from the MushroomExpert.Com Web site: http://www.mushroomexpert.com/lentaria_micheneri.html