Panellus serotinus (Olive Oysterling)

This species has a much reduced stipe forming to the side of the cap (described as lateral) and a more or less kidney shaped cap which can reach 10cm across. The upper surface is distinctly olive greenish, sometimes with reddish or lilac tones near

the point of attachment to the wood. In wet conditions, the cap will be viscid and glutinous but the cap can become dry and matt. The under surface has yellowish /orange gills and the spore print is white.

The Olive Oysterling is a saprotrophic or ‘recycler’ fungus, which is breaking down dead wood. Fungi are the only group of organisms that can break down lignin and without them we would be buried under many metres of woody debris. They also lay

a vital role in driving the carbon cycle, releasing nutrients that they don’t require back into the habitat.

Fruiting: occurs throughout the year but is mostly recorded between late November and February

Habitat: on dead deciduous wood, usually large fallen trunks or branches, particularly beech and birch but also on alder, ash, oak, willow, elder and elm.

Distribution: (Checklist of the British and Irish Basidiomycota Legon & Henrici 2005): Scotland ‘present although its frequency is unknown’ (England common / N.Ireland occasional – or at least infrequently reported). The total number of records for this species on the Fungal Records Database of Britain and Ireland is 767 with 54 of those originating in Scotland.

As with so many, this species is almost certainly overlooked – possibly because it often occurs late in the season when people are less often out foraying. Is it really so much less common in Scotland than in England?