Thelephora botryoides Schwein. 1822
Syn.: Tomentella botryoides (Schwein.) Bourd. & Galz. 1924
Basidiome effused, up to 0.2 (0.5) mm thick, separable, often
becoming detached from the substratum, araneose to byssoid
in immature parts, becoming pelliculose, soft,
sometimes becoming membranaceous or somewhat crustose
and brittle when dry.
Hymenial surface surface when young
mostly discontinuous, distinctly dotted by brownish to blackish spots over the
yellowish brown or brownish subiculum, when mature becoming continuous, smooth
to finely granulose, rarely colliculose, dark brown
to almost blackish with greyish or greenish hues (5YR-5Y 3–2.5/1–3). Collicoli (when present) rounded or somewhat polygonal,
3–5/mm, more or less easily separable from the hymenophore.
Subiculum sometimes scanty but often well developed and rather thick, araneose to hypochnoid, soft,
light yellowish-orange to yellowish brown (5–10YR 7–4/8 to 10YR 6–5/4),
infrequently becoming brown, distinctly paler than the developed fertile
surface.
Margin abrupt and not differentiated or almost
sterile, shortly to indefinitely thinning out, araneose
to byssoid, concolour to paler than the subiculum.
Rhizomorphs present (sometimes not easily seen), normally common in
subiculum, at the margin or in cracks of the substratum, up to 0.1 (0.2) mm
thick, compact, becoming hard and rigid, with almost smooth surface, yellowish
brown to dark brown in subiculum, brown to blackish when exposed at the margin
or in the substratum.
Hyphal system dimitic or trimitic with skeletal hyphae associated with rhizomorphs.
Subicular hyphae regular, fibulate, sometimes
with intercalary simple septa, (2.5) 3–4 (5) µm wide, sometimes with simple
anastomoses, with thin to thickening wall, yellow or yellowish, normally
branching at some distance from septa.
Subhymenial hyphae regular, fibulate,
(2) 3–4.5 µm wide, thin-walled, subhyaline to
yellowish, often branching from clamps.
Rhizomorphs starting as rather loose strands of fibulate
generative hyphae in subiculum that eventually mix with some 2–3 µm wide hyphae
with thickening walls with some simple septa and repetitive adventitious septa;
then becoming structured with a central core of slightly wider generative
hyphae up to 6 (7) µm in diam., surrounded by numerous hyphae 2–3 µm in diam.,
with thicker walls and numerous adventitious septa becoming ochraceous,
ending in thick-walled skeletoid hyphae, 1.5–2.5 µm
wide, sinuous, with elbow-like bends, sometimes branched, ochraceous
to brownish, that toward the surface of the rhizomorphy
become richly branched and build a thin, compact and labyrinthiform
layer.
Cystidia absent.
Basidia narrowly clavate,
often subcapitate, sinuous, (30) 40–55 (70) x 6–8 (9)
µm, fibulate at the basal septum, pale yellowish to ochraceous; 4 sterigmata up to 5
µm long and 1–1.5 µm wide at the base.
Basidiospores with irregular to lobed outline,
in frontal view normally 3-lobed, in lateral view often broader toward the
base, in polar view subglobose with sinuous or 3-lobed outline, from 5–6.5 (7)
x 4–5 x 5–6 (6.4) µm to 5.5–8 x 4.5–6 x 6–7.5 µm, Q1 = 1.15–1.45, Q2
= 0.9–1.15, echinulate, yellowish to yellowish brown; aculei
up to 0.8 (1.2) µm long or rarely longer, up to 1 (1.5) µm, blunt to tapering,
often disposed in crowns over secondary lobes; apiculus prominent.
Chlamydospores absent.
Incrustation: a lot of adhering yellowish to very dark brow resinous
matter and sometimes also blue to bluish black granules on basidia, subhymenial
hyphae and spores visible in water and LA and that dissolve in KOH producing a olivaceous-brown or greyish-green diffusate.
Subicular hyphae often encrusted by hyaline matter in water
but turning smooth with KOH and other dyes.
Chemical reactions: IKI: –. CB: thin-walled hyphae and young basidiospores cyanophilous. KOH: hymenial elements with content turning (dark) greenish,
greenish-blue, grayish-green to blackish with alcali. The reaction may be, at least partially, of oxydative type, thus variable in different preparations on
account of mounting procedures involving KOH and air, and often stronger when
the cover slide is slipped off and replaced; subhymenial hyphae turning olivaceous or greenish; subicular
hyphae
description: Elia Martini
drawings: Elia Martini