Thelephora punicea Alb. & Schwein. 1805

Syn.: Tomentella punicea (Alb. & Schwein.) J. Schröt. 1888

Basidiome effused, adherent to separable, at first araneose then hypochnoid to pellicular, soft to membranaceous; up to 0.5 (1) mm thick.
Hymenophore granulose to finely colliculose, smoother toward the margin, becoming partly crustose when old; with small dark reddish brown droplets on surface when actively growing.
Colliculi (when developed) 3–8/mm, 0.1–0.2 mm across, more or less easily peeled off from the subiculum, single to crowded.
Hymenial surface soon continuous, yellowish brown (10YR 5–4/4–6), ferrugineous brown (5YR 4(3)/4–6), frequently with an olivaceous hue (2.5–5Y 5–4/4–6); sometimes with very dark brown spots.
Subiculum thin to well developed, hypochnoid to fibrous, yellowish-brown to brown or strong brown (10YR 5–4/4–8).
Margin indistinct or narrow, shortly or widely thinning out, araneose, byssoid to fimbriate, sometimes fan-shaped, yellowish-brown to brown, paler to concolour with the subiculum.
Rhizomorphs present, sometimes obscure, common at the margin, in subiculum and in cracks of the substrate, up to 0.1 (0.2) mm thick, compact, becoming hard and rigid, with almost smooth surface, brownish to very dark brown or almost blackish.

Hyphal system dimitic with branched skeletal hyphae (binding-like) associated with rhizomorphs.
Subicular hyphae regular, mostly fibulate, sometimes with simple septa and repetitive adventitious septa, mostly with thin or slightly thickening wall, 2–4 (5) µm in diam., subhyaline to yellowish brown or olivaceous.
Subhymenial hyphae regular, fibulate, (2) 3–4 (5) µm wide, thin-walled, hyaline to pale yellowish, sometimes with articles with homogeneous yellowish-ochraceous content.
Rhizomorphs starting as thin strands of generative hyphae like the subicular ones showing soon slightly thicker walls and alternating clamped and simple septa, then developing in the core of the rhizomorph slightly wider hyphae up to 8 µm in diam., often with repetitive secondary septa, and in surface mixed with thinner skeletoid hyphae (1) 1.5–2.5 (3) µm diam., irregular, sinuous, often with elbow-like bends that become randomly branched, ochre-brown to olivaceous, never forming a labyrinthic and compact structure.
Cystidia absent.
Basidia narrowly clavate to subcylindrical, somewhat sinuous, (35) 40–50 (60) x 6–8 µm, sometimes or often with a transverse septum, fibulate at the basal septum, subhyaline to pale yellowish, sometimes with homogeneous light ochraceous content, often with distinct yellowish oily drops; 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 mostly 2-lobed and often broader toward the base, in polar view subglobose with irregular or slightly lobed outline, (6) 6.5–8.5 (9) x (4.5) 5–6 .5 (7) x (6) 6.5–7.5 (8) µm, Q¹ = 1.2–1.4 (1.5), Q² = 0.95–1.2, echinulate, thick-walled, yellowish to yellowish-brown; aculei up to 1 (1.2) µm long, blunt to tapering, sometimes disposed in crowns over secondary lobes; apiculus prominent.
Chlamydospores absent.
Incrustation: with a lot of yellow to yellowish-brown, rarely brown resinous material that almost completely dissolve in KOH-mounts producing a yellowish or yellowish brown diffusate.
Chemical reactions: IKI –. CB: young basidiospores slightly cyanophilous. KOH: faint pH-related color change of tissues that loss some yellow hue becoming slightly more olivaceous brown; rhizomorphs becoming olivaceous or greenish, tipically with more or less indefinite dark to very dark greenish areas or spots.

description: Elia Martini

drawings: Elia Martini