aethelflead's Identifications

These mushrooms were found at the Lawrence Hall of Science in wood chips after a light rain. Chip cherries characteristically grow in wood chip or under pine trees. Chip cherries have a red/orange cap and pale stalk that stains dark orange at the base with age (as shown in picture 3). Furthermore, veil fragments can be seen on edge of their caps, which is visualized in the pictures above.

I identified this as Candolleomyces candolleanus because it has the distinctive features of a young Candolleomyces candolleanus. It has a tan, conical cap which is about 1.5 inches wide which is typical for these young mushrooms. It’s cap margin is also irregular and asymmetrical all around. It has a purple/brown spore print and a white stalk that is about 2.5 inches tall which is an identifying feature of Candolleomyces candolleanus. I found it in a grassy area and due to it fruiting in the fall is another reason I identified this mushroom as Candolleomyces candolleanus.

Phylum: Basidiomycota
Order: Agoricales
Genus: Candolleomyces
Species: C. candolleanus

I identified this mushroom as Xerocomellus dryophilus because I found it growing near live oak. It also has a pink/brown cap with cracks and a yellow under cap which led me to further believe that it was Xerocomellus dryophilus.

Phylum: Basidiomycota
Order: Boletales
Genus: Xerocomellus
Species: X. dryophilus

Inrolled margin/saprobic ecology/all-yellow palette/smooth stipe/staining/slight red discoloration/offset stipe all suggest B. sphaerocephalus, though quite uncommon. Growing in wood chips and pine needles. Regular mushroomy taste and odor.

Note--further research indicates B. sphaerocephalus may actually parasitize P. schweinitzii. I've never seen it in this exact location, but its ecology certainly fits the area

Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Ascomycota
Class: Eurotiomycetes
Order: Eurotiales
Family: Trichocomaceae
Genus: Penicillium
Species: P. purpurogenum

Collected from Genetics and Plant Biology Building lab's air. Since it turns the media red, so it should be Penicillium purpurogenum that produce red pigment.

Collected from an RBA plate of an air sample in ASUC Student Union. Species determined from location of source.

1. Macroscopic view under dissecting scope, cultured on MA. Contains shiny raised mucoid black lumps with hyphae extending into the agar.
2. 100x magnification of wet mount slide created from center of culture.
3. 100x magnification of agar slice taken from edge of agar near growing apical zone of hyphae.

Found at Sagehen Field Station. Found growing on dead tree, likely a conifer based on other trees in the surrounding area. Appeared to be old and desiccated. A colony of spiders were living in the layers of the fungi.

For sure genus Rhizopus, species most likely stolonifer!
(Going to argue here why it's NOT oryzae)

hyphae have no septa
black spores borne in a sac
rapid growth
complex + branched rhizoids (stolons!)
sporangiophores exceed 1mm in height

air-isolated! so likely not oryzae, which is typically used in food fermenting and grows at high temp (45C)

stolonifer tends to grow on overripe fruit (which was definitely present in my apartment from which this isolate was taken) and grows at 36C ish

sporangia diameter roughly 150 micrometers, sporangiophore length 1.6 mm

For sure genus Rhizopus, species most likely stolonifer!
(Going to argue here why it's NOT oryzae)

hyphae have no septa
black spores borne in a sac
rapid growth
complex + branched rhizoids (stolons!)
sporangiophores exceed 1mm in height

air-isolated! so likely not oryzae, which is typically used in food fermenting and grows at high temp (45C)

stolonifer tends to grow on overripe fruit (which was definitely present in my apartment from which this isolate was taken) and grows at 36C ish

sporangia diameter roughly 150 micrometers, sporangiophore length 1.6 mm