Tuesday 14 July 2009

#33 Dermocybe austroveneta

Green agarics are not common, so Dermocybe austroveneta can often be identified with little trouble.

Dermocybe austroveneta (pronounced Dermo-sigh-be austro-ven-ee-ta) is commonly known as Green skinhead.

The cap of a young Dermocybe austroveneta is yellowish-green to dark green in the centre, slightly greasy when dry, slightly slippery when wet, with an umbo (dome-like swelling in centre of cap) that flattens with age.


A close-up of the young cap shows the cortina (cobwebby veil, or remains thereof) stained rusty-brown from spores.


The cap starts off convex, flattening with age. Gills of varying lengths start off pale yellow, darkening to rusty-brown with age. The central white stem can be up to 100mm tall, tapering slightly upwards. The cobwebby veil and fibrous stem stains rusty-brown from maturing spores.

Pale yellowish gills of a young specimen - note the rusty-brown staining on the fibrous stem


Broad, flat cap of an aging specimen - note the flattened dark green central umbo. The shade of green is variable.


Dermocybe austroveneta
grows singly or in groups on the ground amongst leaf litter in Eucalypt forests. According to FungiMap, Dermocybe austroveneta is found in the south east of NSW, Victoria, Tasmania, the south east of South Australia, and the south west of Western Australia.

My sightings of Dermocybe austroveneta

[This will be updated with new sightings]

Hunter Region Botanic Gardens - Heatherbrae, NSW - Jun 2009, Jun 2011, Jun 2012 (09, 11 and 12 specimens all in the same position).

Barrington Tops National Park - Mount Royal, NSW - Jun 2005

Cassilis - Cassilis Rest Area, Hunter Valley, NSW, native woodland, Aug 2010

Brown gills of a mature Dermocybe austroveneta


Notice the slight tapering upwards of the stem.



8 comments:

Denis Wilson said...

Hi Gaye
Sorry to be slow in commenting. Lovely post on this particularly beautiful fungus.
You helped me name mine, found at Nowra on 26 June. Your photos are beautiful.
I saw mine when the bush was dripping wet. It seems it likes those kind of conditions.
Strange to say a green fungus is attractive, but I find it so.
Cheers
Denis

Gaye said...

Hello Denis,

thank you. I only hope in time to see more of these beautiful green fungi. There are blue fungi to find, too. Yes, strange colours for fungi, and strangely eerie.

With the forests you have close at hand, I imagine you are in prime fungi territory.

Cheers
Gaye

Bill said...

I like this fungus, which can range from bottle green to dull green-brown. Very subtle little organism.

Keith said...

I am very interested in Australian tinder fungi. There seems to be several that look alike with different names. Names don't matter much to me so long as I can recognise them.
But now I read on a Government site that Fomes Fomentarius grows in Australia, and I thought it was restricted to North America, England and Europe! Any info?
Regards, Le Loup.

Gaye said...

hello Le Loup,

sorry, I don't have any information on Fomes fonentarius, and whether it is in Australia. If I eventually find anything worth sharing, I will contact you via your blog.

Regards,
Gaye

Anonymous said...

I have found what looks like Fomes fomentarius on our property in the Central West of NSW, growing on the side of a eucalyptus.

I was searching the web trying to find out if they are native or not.

Cheers,
Christine

Keith said...

Fomes Fomentarius is not native to Australia as far as I am aware. This bracket or Horse Hoof fungus is native to the UK & America & is the source of the tinder Amadou or German tinder.
We do have Polypores here though that are used as tinder for flint, steel & tinderbox fire lighting plus we have other plant tinders.
Regards, Keith.
http://woodsrunnersdiary.blogspot.com.au/

Gaye said...

Hello Keith,

thank you for your interest and assistance with this. If I find any more reliable information I'll add it here.

Regards,
Gaye