Scleroderma bovista Fr.

(3.1) Scleroderma bovista Fr. View in CoL ,

Systema Mycologicum (Lundae) 3(1): 48 (1829)

( Fig. 17 View FIGURE 17 )

= Scleroderma griseobrunneum Ke Wang, T.Z. Wei & P. Hong , in Wang, Liu, Liu, Hong, Wei, Wang, Phurbu, Zhou & Wei, Mycology 10.1080/21501203.2024.2392014, 19 (2024)

Description:— Basidiomata small to medium-sized, 19–58 mm in diameter, 25–42 mm in height including a stipe 4–15 mm long, subglobose to tuberiform; odor indistinct; taste mild. Peridium leathery, 0.5–1 (1.5) mm thick, beach yellow (#F9F3C9) to silk brown (#CAB7AA), usually without a color change after damaged, occasionally turning reddish after damaged, with flaky to granular, light teak brown (#BCAC84) to coffee-bean brown (#483625) squamules. Gleba compact at first, becoming pulverulent, thatch yellow (#F1ECC5), flint brown (#736960) to dull black (#0B0C0E). Basal rhizomorphs moderately abundant to abundant, whitish.

Basidiospores {40/4/4} (9.5) 10–16 (17) [12.33 ± 1.91, 12.50] µm in diameter including ornamentation, mostly globose, rarely subglobose, thick-walled, with reticulate ornamentation 1–2 µm high, brownish to purplish, often surrounded by remnants of placental cells. Basidia collapsed. Gleba trama composed of 2–5 μm wide, slightly thick-walled, nearly colorless to slightly brownish, compact, moderately to frequently branching, subregularly arranged to interwoven hyphae sometimes with clamp connections. Peridial squamules composed of 2–5 μm wide, slightly thick-walled, brownish, moderately compact, moderately to frequently branching, interwoven hyphae without clamp connections. Peridial trama composed of 3–6 μm wide, slightly thick-walled, nearly colorless to slightly brownish, compact, moderately to frequently branching, subregularly arranged to interwoven hyphae occasionally with clamp connections.

Habits and distribution:— Gregarious, on soil, usually in subtropical forests, associated with plants of Cupressaceae , Fagaceae , Juglandaceae , Pinaceae and Rosaceae . Currently known from Asia ( China, Japan, Pakistan & South Korea), Europe ( Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, North Macedonia, Poland, Serbia, Spain, Sweden & UK), North America ( Canada & USA), South America ( Argentina, Brazil & Colombia), Africa ( Cape Verde) and Oceania ( New Zealand) with molecular evidence.

Collections examined:— China, Hunan Province, Yueyang City, exact location unknown, May 29, 2023, Kun L. Yang, kindly donated by anonymous net friends, S2376 ( HTBM0319 ). GoogleMaps China, Jiangsu Province, Wuxi City, Jiangyin County, Xuxiake Town , exact location unknown, June 10, 2023, Rang Xing, Fei-Yang Chen, Kun L. Yang et al., S23115 ( HTBM0358 ). GoogleMaps China, Jiangsu Province, Nanjing City, Nanjing Forestry University , Central Green Land , 32°04'46''N, 118°48'34''E, elevation 10 m, June 27, 2023, Qi-Hua Xie, 23604-1-S23113 ( HTBM0356 ). GoogleMaps China, Jiangsu Province, Nanjing City, Xuanwu District, Zijinshan Mountain , exact location unknown, August 11, 2023, Xia Chen, Jia Y. Lin & Kun L. Yang, ChenXia530 - S23367 ( HTBM1478 ) GoogleMaps ; same location, November 18, 2023, Xia Chen & Jia Y. Lin, ChenXia722 - L23524 ( HTBM1814 ) GoogleMaps ; same location, November 19, 2023, Xia Chen & Jia Y. Lin, ChenXia830 - L23526 ( HTBM1816 ) GoogleMaps .

Notes:— As confirmed in the current phylogeny ( Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1 ), S. bovista is widely distributed across Asia, Europe, North America, South America, Africa and Oceania, and the recently described S. griseobrunneum could be a morphotype of S. bovista .