NC, Smokies, 20060630
CabinCove, Asbury etc, various.

Flowers

Cassia nictitans

In rock garden above cabin.
GEN herb
ST hispid
LF pin
lflts even, many, oblong, apic, sl oblique
folded up, hispid on either side of groove of rachis and petiole
gland giraffe-horn shaped, flat disk on short stalk, dk red black

Monarda clinopodia

Re-visited the so-called Blephilia on Asbury oops! I mis-read the key. Almost done flowering.

Persicaria longiseta []

In ditch across from beginning of jeep road to pond.
GEN decumb ann? hern
ST round, glab
LF alt, lance, acute, wedge, 60x20+6mm, glab but short cil
STIP ocreae, sev 4mm long bristles but otherwise v sp short strig
INFL interrupted term spike-like pan, term seg 20x6mm, fls overlapping, pedicels not jointed at base
TEP 5, pinkish, not opening, 2.5mm, glab
FR 1.5x1mm, 4 soft-ribbed, shiny black, apic, faces concave ab, style decid

black billed cuckoo

VOICE "cao cao cao cao...", sorta nasal and soft, same sl descending pitch each time

Mushrooms

(It's been three days since the rain now.)

Boletus rubellus? []

On roadside to left sl bel where cut-off joins; a bit old.
GEN med mushroom, roadside, in mossy shade below rhododendrons, strong somewhat unpleasant but mostly earthy/fungal odor
ST 60x5mm, wavy, dry, hard, snaps, doesn't bend at all, vivid pale yell at top to cap-colored midway to grey at bot, min hollow
CAP 35mm, convex, dry, cold pastel marroon, mottled-webby-looking, few pale yellow spots of flesh showing through
FLESH 2mm thick, pale yell, stains blue
PORE ochre, 1-2 per mm, irreg, to 5mm long, notched to free
SPORE print lt olive brown, ellip, yellow, smooth, sl misshapen, usually apic, 1 cell, depression in one side visible as lens-shape at edge, ~10x4um
Keys somewhat convincingly, but no description of species just mentioned in passing under the similar but larger B. bicolor.

Callistosporium luteo-olivaceum

On Asbury at "apex" of contour around that hill between Yellow-Gate Road and Hoglen Gap.
GEN small mushroom, on and under v rotten hardwood log, sev widely scattered, odor pleasant sweet and mild
ST 35x4mm, pale yell, long silky fibrillose, hollow, flesh yell, sl brittle but so fibrous it doesn't break cleanly at all
CAP 20mm, convex, dk yell w pale yell fuzz esp on top, v def not striate
FLESH watery dk yell, 1.5mm or less, brittle but held together but tougher v flexible cortex, K+ dk vinaceous brown slowly
GILL sulphur yell, v notch to free, v sl wavy, ~2 per mm, 3mm long
SPORE print white (a bit faint), smooth, colorless, ellip, 1 cell, apic, ~5x3um, some develop a wine-red spot in the center in KOH (it's subtle at best if that's real)

Clavulina amethystina []

On Tigger's Trot very close to bottom (about 2/4 switchbacks up.
GEN coral fungus, on soil
THAL fairly erect, greyish-purple (striking!) to sl brownish bel, well br'd in 2's or whorls of many, tips blunt, overall 40-50mm, brs 10-15x2-3mm on avg
SPORE whitish (didn't wait long enough), can see white specks at 30x, all over brs, colorless, ellip, min knobbed, 1 cell, 5-7x3-4um

Psathyrella lacrymabunda? []

On slopes of mound on Jason's Path at base of hemlock.
GEN tall med-large mushroom, growing from base of hemlock below ground
ST v long and curved to erect ab, 130x10-15mm, thicker bel, brownish, tufted brown fibrillose but otherwise dry and smooth, bruise dk brown, hollow but stuffed, brittle but fibrous sheath remains in tact or shreds, flesh dk brown, creamy mycelial fuzz on foot
CAP 65mm, convex w cute abrupt sharp umbo, rich chocolate brown to lter almost tan at marg, was clearly viscid when wet, d dk brown firbrillose patches, cuticle cellular
FLESH 8mm or more, dirty off-white, soft and sl brittle, cortex stretchy and tough but thin
GILL v sl notched, perfectly flat and straight across entire mushroom in x-sect, dirty mottled brown, white "beaded" marg, straight, unbr, ~1 per mm, to 10mm long
SPORE print dk brown, lt brown, smooth, ellip to ov, v apic, germ pore, sticking in towering thick masses, 1 cell, 12.5x6um
Arora lists this as a synonym for P. velutina (and says both may be placed in Larymaria, but then mentions that this species has smooth spores, which mine definitely does. Looks nothing like the photo (or description) in Lincoff, but the description in Arora is quite good.

Russula sororia

On roadside to left just bel Mary-Wanda.
GEN med stocky mushroom, roadside, in mossy shade below rhododendrons, spermatic odor, light (as in not heavy)
ST 50x15-20mm, hollow, creamy w bownish tinge, thinner at top, fragile, dry, smooth, flesh ext acrid
CAP 70mm, v concave, marg arching out, golden tawny, v striate, brownish in age, smooth, dry
FLESH 5mm, cream, brittle
GILL creamy but aging brownish, straight, clean, unbr, notched to free, 5mm long, sl more than 1 per mm
SPORE print creamy white, see below

The same yellow button from a few days ago, I think very close to the Russulas. On roadside to left just bel Mary-Wanda.
GEN med stocky mushroom, roadside, in mossy shade below rhododendrons, faint mild odor
ST whitish, short, stocky, hollow, dry, smooth
CAP never fully opened, 45mm, sticky viscid, fairly even golden tawny, no signs of any veils
FLESH white, 5-6mm, brittle
GILL narrowed to where it touches st is that attached or not?, creamy, clean, straight, unbr, sl more than 1 per mm
SPORE print whitish, round to sl ellip, colorless, v warty, some knobbed, 1 cell, 7-7.5um

These are all the same, as it turns out.

Trametes

On forest floor just before descending to cross Messer/Mitchell Branch.
GEN shelf fungus, on rotting hardwood stick on moist forest litter
CAP white to creamy, min tom, not zoned at all, flexible but stiff (twangs like a rubber-band!), 25-30mm wide, thin sl yellowish edge
FLESH white, 2mm, rubbery, easy to cut, K-
PORE 6 per mm, white to v sl creamy, v min fuzzy, v shallow (< 1mm long)
Keys to Microporellus obovatus in Arora if I pay attention to the stalk, else it keys to T. versicolor or T. hirsuta (and friends). I'm uncomfortable picking any of the species mentioned there.

fuzzy white parchment

On bent oak on first bench going up TT.
GEN crust fungus, on oak bark
CAP creamy white, min d velvety, smooth, resupinate, K+ yell
FLESH tough, 1-2mm thick, yellowish-brownish, dry

golden mold

On forest floor to right sl bel mound on Jason's Path.
GEN crust fungus, on rotting hardwood limb on moist forest litter
THAL vivid orangish yell, K+ wine red, min velvety, clear marg, no visible pores, but one patch does have yell-fuzzy min clavate stalks much < 1mm tall either another fungus this mold has overgrown or its fruiting body

Lichens

All these are from big buckeye where jeep-road heads off toward pond:

Graphis scripta [] [voucher]

Perfect example. Heaped with that orange coralloid stuff. Spores perfect.

Heterodermia hypoleuca [] [voucher]

GEN foliose lichen, on buckeye bark
THAL lobes small to 1.5mm, even pale grey, abundant black unbr cilia w pale base, pure white w no cortex bel, abundant v squarrose blackish long rhiz bel, some lobules on margs, no soredia or isidia, K+ yell, C-
MED white, thick, K+ yell, C-
ALG green
APO few, deep curled up cups, dentate curled in margs, rich shiny-granular brown inside, to 1.5mm wide

Heterodermia speciosa [] [voucher]

GEN foliose lichen, on buckeye bark
THAL finely lobed, closely but somewhat weakly att, even pale grey, abundant pale white sharp cilia, lobes to 1.5mm wide and splaying, no isidia or lobules, crescent shaped soralia of piles of granular-powdery soredia borne on and under tips, white to pale tan bel w abundant short unbr pale rhiz, cortex tough, K+ v yell, C-
MED white, K+ v yell, C-
ALG green
APO none
Very similar to H. obscurata but this def has no yellow pigment anywhere.

Lecanora hybocarpa [] [voucher]

Didn't actually study, because I just did a full study of the ones on the limb from 20060712. I'm going by the bumpy rims (large crystals in amphithecium), and no pruina, and K+ yell.

Lecanora thysanophora []

Loxospora pustulata [] [voucher]

GEN crust lichen, on buckeye bark
THAL smooth shiny pale grey but bumpy to rimose and finely cracked, older part becoming pustulate w pustules breaking up into granular soredia, definite to diffuse white smooth hypothallus, K-, C-
MED thin, white, K+ v yell (turning sl orangish after a bit), C-
ALG green
APO none
Easiest lichen to key in all the Brodo keys! two simple questions and you're there. (Assuming you answer them correctly!)

Phaeophyscia rubropulchra [] [voucher]

GEN foliose lichen, on buckeye bark
THAL fine radiating lobes, even med olive brownish green, flat, lobes to 1mm wide, v d mass of tangled short black squarrose rhiz bel making conspic black fringe seen from ab, soredia in pustules along some marg and occ in center of lobes, K-, C-
MED vivid striking orange, K+ black (v dk wine red), C-
ALG green
APO none
Striking medulla!

Pyxine sorediata [] [voucher]

GEN foliose lichen, on buckeye bark
THAL lobes small to 3mm, conspic white pruinose at tips, not flat, even pale grey, powdery soredia in irreg narr soralia at margs, black bel w v abundant mass of squarrose black rhiz often w white tips, short white unbr rhiz near tips sometimes visible by up-turned tips, K+ faint yell, C-
MED yell
ALG green
APO none

All these are from Tigger's Trot:

Anaptychia palmulata [voucher]

On big bent oak at first bench and on fallen oak shortly thereabove.
GEN foliose lichen, on oak bark
THAL v finely long-lobed (1x0.2mm), med grey-green, loose att and somehwat ascend, overlapping much, even color, min convex, perhaps lobules at marg and edge of apo (constricted min tips), sp but conspic radiating long white straight unbr cilia to 1mm long, smooth white all over bel w long fibrous white to black br to unbr rhiz scattered all over, K-, C-, KC-
MED white, K-, C-, KC-
ALG green
APO rel large lecanorine disks, to 1.5mm, raised and obviously v constricted bel, marg like thall w lobules, disk min-roughened shiny dk brown, marg somewhat curled up
SPORE large ellip, dk brown, smooth, 2 cell, constricted at sept, 3um thick straight sept, thinner walls, bubbles inside, 8 per ascus? (saw group of 6 in one isolated spot but not actual filled asci), about 40-50x25-30um
Had a hell of a time keying to genus... because I'd followed the "shades of grey" lead accidentally!! Arg. Now I have a nice key of the foliose Physciaceae, though.

Bacidia schweinitzii [] [voucher]

On big bent oak at first bench and on fallen oak shortly thereabove.
GEN crust lichen, on hardwood bark
THAL med grey-green, leprose, K-, C-, KC-
MED ?
ALG green
APO black, v convex, margin apparent but just as black as "disk", hypothecium red brown
ASC fairly small, acum hole in tip
SPORE needles, colorless, sharp ends or sl enlarged toward one blunt end, sev to many cells in a row, 5+ per ascus
PARA v narrow, vivid green tips, unbr
I was staring right at the spores but didn't realize it. Did an exhaustive search on disk crust key w/o spore info and found this species as clearly the right one; then looked at 400x slide again and voila! spores are everywhere.

Buellia stillingiana [] [voucher]

On scaly maple bark 60% up.
GEN crust lichen, on hardwood bark
THAL pale grey to white, min wrinkled, v rimose, black prothallus, v thin, K+ weak yell slowly turning reddish, C-, KC-
MED white
ALG green
APO biatorine?, black, to 1mm, convex, thin prom smooth black rim, rough-shiny, colorless to yellish (in K at least) narr (60um) hymen, dk brown hypothec, dk brown epi, exciple hard to find
SPORE 8 per ascus, brown, ellip, 2 cell, thin even walls and septum, smooth, 13-14x6-7um

Cladonia cristatella [] [voucher]

On sunny mossy bank 70% up.
GEN cladonia, on mossy bank
THAL
prim squam v finely lobed, ascend, med grey-green, white bel, smooth
pod 6-7mm tall, v d covered w areoles and lobules and squamules, no soredia or granules, med grey-green, unbr or short "proliferating" br at v top, K- or yellowish, C-, KC- or yellowish
MED white
ALG green
APO vivid red clust of irreg pillows at top of brs

Cladonia didyma vulcanica [] [voucher]

On sunny mossy bank 80% up.
GEN cladonia, on mossy bank
THAL
prim squam v finely lobed, some fairly long, ascend, lt to med grey-green, white bel, smooth, K+ def yell, C-, KC?
pod 3-4mm tall, 100% d covered in coarse lt-colored corticate granules, unbr, thinner at top
MED white
ALG green
APO tiny bright red beads perched atop brs

Fuscidea arboricola? [] [voucher]

On rhododendron bark 60% up.
GEN crust lichen, on rhododendron bark
THAL dk brown and min warty, hard to see because the thallus blends with the background and is totally obscured by the conspic piles and piles of med green granular soredia that form out of the breakdown of the warts, K-, C-, KC-
MED white, K-, C-, KC-
ALG green
APO none
Definitely not Lepraria lobificans (or any other Lepraria for that matter). Definitely not Lecanora thysanocarpa (no fibrous white prothallus and it has that brown stuff). Not Loxospora or Phlyctis (too dark). Not Pertusaria (no big warts and there's that brown stuff again). I'm really running out of options. This Fuscidea could very well be it, although I don't see and brown prothallus.

Fuscopannaria leucosticta-like

On big bent oak at first bench and on fallen oak shortly thereabove.
GEN foliose lichen, on oak bark
THAL sl brownish med gray, closely app, finely short lobed, 1-1.5mm wide, flat, fine white pruina on surface at least at tips, luxuriant bushy finely squarrose black tangled matt of rhiz bel and in a few piles above (looks like another fungus parasitizing it!), no soredia or isidia, some lobules (esp on apo), no cortex bel, K-, C-, KC-
MED thin white, K-, C-, KC-
ALG v dk black-green
APO lecanorine disks, appress but constrict bel, d white fuzzy rhiz protruding from bel fringing it, marg toothed to outright lobate, disk finely shiny-roughened dk brownish red bleached pale in places, to 1mm wide
ASC rounded inside sl thickened tip
SPORE 8 per ascus, 1 cell, colorless, smooth, ellip, obtuse pointed both ends, walls about 0.8um thick (clearly visible at 400x), 13-15x10um
PARA dense, narr, colorless to tan at tips, unbr?
Matches description of F. leucosticta precisely right down to pointed spores frosted tips and lobate apothecial margins, except spores are about half as long as they should be.

Imshaugia aleurites []

On rhododendron bark 60% up.
GEN foliose lichen, on rhododendron bark
THAL v fine narr long lobes, closely app, even pale greenish grey, v d abundant br cyl isidia on old parts, lobes 2x0.5mm, pale bel w v min scattered rhiz, no cilia, K+ vivid yell, C-
MED thin, white, K+ vivid yell, C-
ALG green
APO none
Looks totally different, but just because this poor sample is starved and nearly dead.

Imshaugia aleurites [] [voucher]

On rhododendron bark 70% up.
GEN foliose lichen, on rhododendron bark
THAL narr appress splaying lobes, no cilia, even pale grey, v tips sl browned, v d covered w tall narr cyl brd isidia, white to pale brown w lots of short unbr pale rhiz, K+ vivid yell, C-
MED white, thin, K+ vivid yell, C-
ALG green
APO none
I guess rhododendron bark works as substitute for conifer bark?

Lecanora hybocarpa []

On maple 60% up.

Melanelia halei [] [voucher]

On small red oak 60% up.
GEN foliose lichen, on hardwood bark
THAL almost squamulose, v appress, even shiny med-dk green, tips crinkly and maybe some fine retic maculae, lobes to 2-2.5mm wide, lobules common on marg, no cilia, no isidia or soredia, shiny black and wrinkled bel w scattered short rhiz, scattered red-brown to black barely raised pycnidia, K-, C-, KC-
MED white, K+ slowly brown-orange, C-
ALG green
APO none

Parmelinopsis horrescens [] [voucher]

On smooth maple bark 70% up.
GEN foliose lichen, on hardwood bark
THAL v narr appress somewhat overlapping lobes, to 2mm wide, flat, even lt grey, scattered narr cyl isidia sometimes, some isidia w black cilia on top!, lots of short but rather often br'd black cilia amd rhiz protruding from bel, fine black line on edge, black bel except a few v tiny brown areas at some tips, v d with short black rhiz all over bel, rhiz gen long right to edge near sinuses but becoming shorter at tips, K+ yell, C-
MED white, K-, C-, KC+ faint pink (both this and K eventually turn faint yell from stronger reaction from remnants of cortex left behind)
ALG green
APO none

Pertusaria macounii? [] [voucher]

On scaly maple bark just above halfway.
GEN crust lichen, on hardwoodbark
THAL smooth, pale grey to greenish, braodly cracked and somewhat rimose, K+ weak yellow, C-, KC-
MED white, thick, K+ weak slow yellow, KC-, C-
ALG green
APO in large low somewhat constricted verrucae with tiny invisible ostioles, pinkish brown inside, v thick cortex, hard to cut (tough)
SPORE large, 125x50um or more, ? per ascus, ellip, outer wall 4mm smooth, middle wall 7-8um w "radiating grooves", one more wall inside that also about 7-8um thick
Obviously something wrong with my spores. Ignoring them, I get P. ostiolata or P. macounii.

Pertusaria velata [] [voucher]

On tall stump of small dead oak 70% up.
GEN crust lichen, on hardwood bark
THAL pale grey, rimose to verruculose, K-, C-, KC-?
MED white, K-, C+ red, KC+ bright red turning orange then fading
ALG green
APO lecanorine, adnate but v raised, disk sunken and yell, becoming v powdery white sorediate almost immediately, hymen clear
SPORE 1 per ascus, huge, 200x40um or more!, walls smooth & 10um thick, not textured inside
PARA v thin, colorless, not expanded, br'd
Can't do the UV test, but doesn't apparently matter. I guess the "soredia" are actually just heavy pruina. No question about ID.

Pertusaria velata [] [voucher]

On tall stump of small dead oak 70% up.
GEN crust lichen, on hardwood bark
THAL med grey, deeply rimose-areolate verrucose, large knobby warts with steep to incut sides
MED white, thick, K-, C+ red, KC+ red fading orange to clear
ALG green
APO disintigrating into cottony pustules, obscured by white pruina when young
SPORE 1 per ascus, to 250x40um or more, walls 10+um and smooth
Clearly must be another P. velata, but it looks totally different.

Ropalospora chlorantha? [] [voucher]

On scaly maple bark 80% up.
GEN crust lichen, on hardwood bark
THAL verrucose to v min squamulose, med grey green, prothallus black to diffuse, K-, C-, KC-
MED white, K-, C-, KC-
ALG green
APO tiny black, biatorine?, hymen clear, hypo brownish, epi v dk brown and K+ yell to red, exciple?, marg often w dk growths to the point of obscuring apothecia even lacking apothecia altogether and just having the lobes
SPORE hard to find, colorless, round to ellip, 12x8um or so?, 4-8 per ascus, smooth
PARA thickish, expanding to bulbous dk tips, freely br near tips, not tangled or disentangling readily in K
Wild guess based on distinctive dk green verruculose thallus with conspic black prothallus, no chemistry, abundant pycnidia, and poorly-developed spores, and a single odd-looking spore that surprisingly matches their description of the spores it should have very well: transversely septate narrow thing with one end conspic tapered (though brownish, I'm afraid). Who knows. I cannot find a spore to save my life.

Sticta beauvoisii [voucher]

On big bent oak at first bench and on fallen oak shortly thereabove.
GEN foliose lichen, on oak bark
THAL v large to larg lobes, marg curling up, smooth lt tan, softly wrinkled in places, big conspic piles of black granular-isidia around marg and cracks, tan to brown coarsely tom bel w tufts of squar rhiz, covered w conspic white deeply-sunken cyphellae
MED white
ALG not green
APO none