Perrotia flammea
Common Name: none as yet - suggestions welcome. (Old scientific names include: Dasyscyphus flammeus; Helotium flammeum; Lachnella flammea; Peziza flammea)
According to R.W.G. Dennis' wonderful resource 'Fungi of the Hebrides', Perrotia flammea was not uncommon in the Central Highlands during the 19th century but is rarely recorded today. The sharp eyes of Stewart Taylor have brought this fungus to mind as he recently collected in on Speyside. This is one of my favourite small discomycetes and I have recorded it from five locations on Deeside but is it really a declining Central Highland species or just overlooked because nobody knows about it?
Unlike the February fungus, Scarlet Elf Cup, P. flammea has an understated fruiting structure particularly when seen from a distance, with the cups barely reaching 2 mm across. Up close, however, they are a real delight, with a reddish brown fertile surface and beautiful orange red hairs covering the outer surface. These hairs are actually covered with orange granules which can clearly be seen down the microscope (see image right). Both Dennis (British Ascomycetes) and Nordic Macromycetes Vol. 1 suggest some of the preparation will turn purple in potassium hydroxide solution (KOH) (Dennis says that it is the contents of the hairs that do this, NM1 suggest that it is the external granules - that would be interesting to check out).
Once you know where to look, they are surprisingly easy to pick out, especially on damp days. This is partly because they swarm together all over the ends of dead attached twigs but also of course, because of their lovely warm colours.
Members of the genus Perrotia are all ascomycetes or 'spore shooters'. The spores are shot into the air at maturity from inside a special cell called an ascus. More information about some of these terms and fungal lifestyles.
Fruiting:
P. flammea has been found in every month of the year although the most records are from the months of April and May. So get your eye in for the habitat now.
Habitat:
Perrotia is a genus of wood (or tough herbaceous material) rotting species. P. flammea seems to be cope with the dry conditions found on the ends of dead attached twigs. Maybe the outer hairs help to maintain moisture levels as the cup rolls up in dry weather. P. flammea has an apparent preference for willow but has also been recorded on ash, aspen, birch, hazel and privet.
Distribution:
Mycologia Scotica has not yet covered the ascomycetes so the distribution data comes only from the FRDBI. There are 12 sites noted - 11 of them in Scotland and one in England. Sounds like a northern species to me but is it really confined to central Scotland?
Liz Holden March 2013 with thanks to Stewart Taylor for the photos
Perrotia flammea.
Perrotia flammea. Here are the hairs that cover the outer surface of the tiny cups - covered in orange granules.
Please remember to submit your records to your local recording group or via the Scottish Fungi online recording form.
Perrotia flammea
The National Biodiversity Network Gateway records from FRDBI andHBRG datasets are shown on the above map (see terms and conditions at http://data.nbn.org.uk). Data providers and the NBN Trust bear no responsibility for any further analysis or interpretation of the information in the map.