Morels at Oxwich

I'd been told that morels, one of the few fungi that appear in spring were out at Oxwich. I've never seen morels so a trip was necessary. I didn't find many but they are out in numbers and I did find a few which was satisfying enough.

Morels belong to a division of the fungi world called 'ascomycetes'. Unlike mushrooms that drop spores from gills or tubes (basidiomycetes), ascomycetes shoot spores away from their outer surface. This outer surface is covered in sacks, called asci which contain the spores.

When they are ripe and the mushroom is touched or blown by the wind they expel their spores in a way that resembles a fine puff of smoke. Changes in temperature can also cause the expulsion, something I've witnessed in a different member of the ascomycetes; Helvella crispa/White Saddle.


Below is Morchella esculenta/Morel

Other ascomycetes include Helvella/Saddles and Plicaria /Cup fungi..  Below is Plicaria endocarpoides found at Kilvey Hill.

Helvella crispa/White saddle. The slight resemblance to morels can be seen.

Morels are very easy to identify due to their irregular, honeycombed cap that's ridged and interwoven. The cap is fused to the stem which also irregular. The whole mushroom is hollow. They can be quite large too, reaching up to 20cms in height and generally tend to be solitary however they can be found in small groups.
They are associated with calcereous (chalky) soils yet they can also be found in open deciduous woodland and waste ground. The examples below were found in sandy scrub at Oxwich.

Morels are excellent edible mushrooms but they must be cooked. Eaten raw they can cause stomach upsets.

I also came across some young Hypoxylon fragiforme/Beech Woodwart. At this young stage they are a salmon pink colour.

At Oxwich

Burnt Ground Fungi: Plicaria

Kilvey Hill. Seven months after being set on fire.

Every year, Kilvey Hill suffers from being set on fire, which causes considerable damage to the trees, vegetation and soil. Last year was one of the worst I witnessed for these events and large areas were destroyed. For fungi that form a mycorrhizzal relationship with trees it was a catastrophe.
Such events however, whilst being destructive did mean that other fungi which specialise in areas destroyed by fire took advantage and started to appear.

These fungi are described as 'phoenicoid' or firesite fungi.

Incidentally Kilvey Hill is covered with Lodgepole Pine (Pinus contorta) which is a highly flammable species which has evolved to depend on fire for its survival. Its cones need high temperatures supplied by fire to release the seeds from the cones. The fires set here are acts of vandalism but it's good to know that something positive comes out of the destruction.

I had been reading about phoenicoid fungi and decided to see if anything was growing on an area that had been burnt last year. There was; Plicaria endocarpoides.
Plicaria endocarpoides belongs to the Peziza family, commonly called 'Cup' fungi. As the name suggests they look like bowls or cups and Plicaria endocarpoides is a specialist that prefers burnt ground. Indeed there are many Plicaria and Peziza who can be found only in this kind of habitat.

Plicaria endocarpoides is often found in winter and can reach 6cm across. The photo of the fruitbody above was about 4.5cm across and I found a couple a little larger. The inside is smooth, finely wrinkled and coloured in shades of tan and brown whilst the outer side has a finely granular surface. Click on the photos to enlarge.