NC, Smokies, 20060613
Snowbird AT, many flowers and fungi.

Our stretch of AT from Snowbird to I-40.

Flowers

Aruncus dioicus

Starting to fl at high elevs in shady woods, in full fl along road to top. Photos are too lousy to take any notes. Mom insists it's Aruncus not Astilbe she'd know.

Asclepias exaltata

Just starting to fl; on trail at mid to upper elev.
GEN tall herb, simple st
LF opp, in 4 ranks, equally spaced, not reduced ab, lance, petioled, glab??
INFL peduncled umbel, drooping
SEP ?
PET greenish, v reflex, glab
STAM white to somewhat purplish, hooded, v conspic horn

Ceanothus americanus

A few scattered near bottom of trail; in open woods; in full fl; based mostly on photo.
GEN subshrub
LF alt, lance, serr, shiny, thin, acum, rounded base, 3 veins from base, veins imp ab and r bel, short petiole
INFL term rac, clusts of 6+ per node, pedicel white and spread, rachis pubesc, total rounded and trunc cyl
HYP white, wide obconic
SEP 5, white, scale-like, infolded?
PET 5, free, spat, tiny, blades turned up from spreading claws
STAM 5, opp pet, erect, min
OV looks inf (apparently it must be free from hypanthium)
STYLE ?

Chimaphila maculata []

Starting to fl; lower elev; dry open forest; based on photos.
GEN herb
ST erect, simple
LF opp, lance, dk green w lter midstripe, dist serr, acute, wedge base, evergreen, glab
INFL 1-3 in simple infl at top, peduncle long, pedicels relexed so that fls and frs are drooping, infl
SEP ?
PET 5, free, white, rounded, reflexed, sl cupped, showy
STAM 10, short
ANTH basifix, U-shaped, term pores, tan
OV 1, sup or semi-inf, round, green, glab, long-ribbed
STYLE 1, green, wide and short, round

Diphylleia cymosa

In fr in spring near top of road.
LF alt, 2, lower bigger, huge, palm-toothed
INFL corymbose cyme

Duchesnea indica

Some about a mile from bottom along trail in sunny spot w lots of weeds; in fr; based on photo.
GEN herb
LF
lflts 3, rhomb-ov, serr, wedge, acutish
long petiole, at v least cil maybe also puber
INFL 1 on long pedicel from axils, puber
SEP 10-lobed, join in collar around base of fl, 5 lobes short and acute and spread 90deg, 5 lobes toothed and reflexed, pubesc-strig, persist
PET ?
STAM ?
OV many, sup
STYLE many
FR round, bright red, 10mm or so, seeds superficial on outside of enlarged fleshy hypanthium, tastless

Houstonia longifolia

Scattered in one area in dry open woods near bottom just ab power lines; in full fl.
GEN bushy slender well-br'd herb
LF opp, narr lin
INFL clust of 2-3 term and axil
SEP 4, nearly free (lobes much > tube), lobes much < petal
PET white to sl bluish, lobes 4, lobes 30% tube 70%, funnel, lobes spread 20-30deg, yell inside
Have to assume it is H. before I can key it out. Wofford leaves H. tenuifolia and H. l. ambiguous, but RA&B mentions calyx lobes removing all doubt.

Hydrangea arborescens arborescens

Scattered all over, esp moist areas; this one from spring above 1st camp; starting to fl to full fl; going from photo and memory.
GEN shrub
LF opp, lance, acum, rounded base, 3 veins from base, serr, green both sides
INFL d broad pan, well excl, no sterile fls
SEP present (can't see well)
PET 5, free, white, tiny
STAM 10, white, well excl
OV ?
STYLE 3, tiny

Hypoxis hirsuta

Lots along dry open trail 0.5 to 1.5 miles from top.

Kalmia latifolia

In full fl at higher elev.

Pedicularis canadensis

Long done flowering, but very distinctive plant.

Phytolacca americana

In fl at base of trail.
GEN v tall succulent herb
LF alt, lance, huge
INFL term long cyl rac
SEP 5, white, spread, small
PET none?
STAM 10 or so?
OV 1, sup, 10 or so lobes pumpkin-wise, green, broad and squat
STYLE sev or sev-br'd, short, white

Rhododendron calendulaceum

In full fl at higher elev; all forms from yellow to red. Wofford has another species, R. cumberlandense that has flowers appearing after leaves are out, but RA&B apparently doesn't recognize this species as separate from R. calendulaceum. It flowers for so long that I don't know the relative timing.

Rhododendron maximum

Just starting to fl at lower elev.

Tradescantia subaspera

In full fl; several places around 1 mile from top; in shady woods along trailside.

Mushrooms

Polyporaceae

Cauliflower-like shelf, on dead hardwood logs both at v top and just above first camp.
GEN cauliflower-like shelf fungus, on hardwood logs
CAP irreg wavy to crisped to knobbed, small but thick, typical lobe maybe 10mm semicircular, white near marg to tan to rich brown inside, v d long soft fuzzy
FLESH 2mm or so, white, tough and hard to cut, annual, K-
PORE white to sl creamy, 4 per mm, hole sl thinner than walls, min puber, v shall (< 1mm)
SPORE print failed, couldn't find any spores
All roads seem to lead to Polyporus or Trametes groups in Arora, but it just refuses to key out. Hydnopolyporus palmatus is one candidate; or could it be a weird form of Trametes hirsuta?

Amanita fulva?

Several scattered in grass alongside of trail in first half mile or so at top.
GEN medium-large mushroom, odor mild
ST 90x5-6mm, thinner ab, no part veil, white to sl tan, min scaly-scurfy, u-veil a thin white bag at bottom
CAP 40mm, sl convex to sl concave, smooth, v lt tan to brown in center, v conspic plicate and striate halfway to ctr
FLESH soft, white, 1-1.5mm thick
GILL clean, white to creamy, straight, unbr, nearly free, 2 per mm, 4mm wide, soft
SPORE print white, colorless, round, knobbed, smooth, 1 cell, 7.5um, sticking together in strings via knobs
Arg, still measuring 5% too small!

Amanita gemmata-like

One in moss near bottom of trail on bank above 2nd switchback or something like that.
GEN med mushroom
ST 70x5-6mm, white, smooth to min fibrous, developing brownish cast as handled, skirt-like pale yell ring near top of stalk (same color as skin of cap), volva collar-like (I think!)
CAP 35mm, convex, v smooth, v pale yell, remnants of veil ragged around marg, skin tough and stretchy, v faintly striate near marg
FLESH white, 1-1.5mm, soft
GILL 1-2 per mm, clean, v pale yell, straight, unbr, abruptly notched nearly free just because flesh of cap descends to stalk and intercepts gills before they can reach stalk, soft
SPORE print white, colorless, round, knobbed, sticking together in great solid thick masses, 1 cell, 5um
Spores just don't match anything: all the ones like A. gemmata have ellip spores; another remote possibility A. citrina has larger round spores. I give up.

Amanita inaurata []

A couple, one opposite the 1-mile mark, another along trail down a little way. One photo really shows the "constriction"... I think.

Ceratiomyxa fruticulosa flexuosa

On rotting oak log near bottom; basing notes on photo.
GEN white mold
CAP extremely fine intricately branched mounds of white
I wonder if this is the same as the "white basket slime": I saw two days ago on the Asbury? According to Lincoff (slimes not covered in Arora) this has two forms: one coral-like, the other pore-like I'll bet the other one is the pore form.

Clavicorona pyxidata []

On rotting oak log near top; basing notes on photo.
GEN coral fungus, clumps of erect brs to say 100x60-80mm
CAP highly-br'd, smooth lt sl pinkish tan with a little browner in places, brs erect, brs whorled, ending in crown-like tip, brs v slender (1mm or so?)

Coltricia cinnamomea

On descent into first camp, beside trail in hardwood litter; could be old.
GEN stalked polypore
ST 25x2mm, tough, brown, tom, rubbery, doesn't break
CAP 25mm, flat to sl concave, cinnamon, v shiny-fibrous, subtly zoned, dent in center, K+ black
FLESH v thin (can't see for all the fibers)
PORE 1-3 per mm, some joining in pairs or threes, brown, v shallow, tom
If the pores were even larger and more maze-like it could be C. montagnei, but I don't think this is.

Dacrymyces palmatus []

On barely rotting pine log; almost at bottom; based on photo.
GEN witch's butter, on pine log
CAP yell-orange, smooth, rubbery

Fomitopsis cajanderi (or rosea)

Shelf fungi on dead pine among blow-downs just above powerlines.
GEN small shelf fungi, on dead pine stump
ST none, att in broad spot on side
CAP convex, regular, beige, v min puber, solid color to sl dker at v edge
FLESH v tough and corky, pink, showing growth rings, 6mm thick, K+ v black
PORE 2mm long, 6-7 per mm, pink, granular, walls 50% as thick as holes
SPORE no print

Panus rudis []

Just past 1 mile mark; on dry bank on dead oak limb.
GEN shelf fungus, on dead oak limb
ST lat, rudimentary and stocky, white tom
CAP 10x20mm or so, tawny-beige, velvety, convex, pretty regular and even cap and marg, marg culed under
FLESH 3-4mm thick, creamy, tough, somewhat flexible but doesn't break
GILL 3-4 per mm, 1-1.5mm wide, sev forked but mostly unbr, tawny (yellower than cap)
SPORE print whitish but faint, colorless, ellip, smooth, sticking together almost 100% in packed rafts w very few separate, ~5x3um or so

Pleurotus ostreatus

On standing dead oak at top.
GEN shelf, on dead standing hardwood, odd but mild odor
ST rudimentary, lateral, thick, white fuzzy
CAP 40-50mm wide, irreg gracefully convex, marg wavy and a bit ragged, watery creamy, smooth
FLESH thin, flexible
GILL decur, close, forked a lot, well-munched by maggots so hard to describe in detail, clean creamy like cap, thin and somewhat wavy
SPORE print creamy, colorless, narr ellip, smooth, sl dimpled when dry, 1 cell, 6.3x7.3x2.5-3um
I always undermeasure spore sizes, don't I?

Russula cyanoxantha? []

Pushing up hardwood leaves on ground very close to top.
GEN large mushroom, on ground in dry hardwood forest
ST 80x25mm or so, brittle, white, uniform, sl roughened but not hairy or fibrillose, no veils etc
CAP 90mm or so, smooth, lt to dk lilac, mostly lter near marg and dker near ctr but somewhat irreg and blotchy and sickly-looking, skin peels easily but not stretchy, not striate
FLESH white aging cream, 5-6mm thick, soft, brittle, not acrid
GILL flaking easily, off white, 10mm thick, clean, straight, unbr, notched, no "partial" gills that don't extend full width from stem to marg, less than 1 per mm, not acrid
SPORE print white, colorless, ellip, knobbed, d min warty, 7.5x5.5um, 1 cell, sticky in irreg towering clumps
Supposedly has some forked gills, and if I look very closely I can find three in the photo that might well be forked. I can definitely imagine them feeling "greasy". I would not call the spores "isolated warty".

Suillus pictus

On ground at base of rock in trail at second switchback at bottom of trail. Could be growing on hardwood, conifer, dung, etc. debris easily! V young, but once cottony white veil has been peeled back it is clearly a bolete.
GEN young bolete
ST solid, rose-peach colored, sp covered w reddish fibers and stains, lt yell beneath, d white cottony veil covering pores
CAP round, bluish-red tom, lt yell and slimy beneath
PORE yell, min hairy

Thelephora vialis?

Cauliflower-coral fungus below trail on steep slope just before "pass" and descent to first camp.
GEN coral fungus, on soil in hardwood forest, unpleasant rotting odor
CAP v d br'd, white to tan to brown, d white fuzzy, tough, irreg, tips tapered to broad flat fingers (on order of 2-3x1mm), total 20-30mm roundish
FLESH greyish
SPORE print invisible, colorless, warty, ellip, 1 cell, 7-8x6-7um
Arora keys to this, and warty spores seem to confirm, although I generally can tell if the spores are dark brown. They are smaller than listed for T. palmata, so he suggests this species. They could be angular, I suppose.