Image of Forest lamb

Description:

Slo.: ovji mesnatovec - syn.: Boletus ovinus Schff., Scutiger ovinus (Schff.; Fr.) Murr. - Habitat: alpine valley, almost flat terrain, mixed wood with dominant Picea abies and Fagus sylvatica, under a Picea abies canopy; calcareous ground; in shade, relatively humid place; partly protected from direct rain by tree canopies, average precipitations ~ 3.000 mm/year, 4-6 deg C, elevation 960 m (3.150 feet), alpine phytogeographical region. Substratum: forest soil. Comments: There are few polypores with so characteristic, aromatic and pleasant smell. To my experience only the scent of Gloeophyllum odoratum can compete with it. Once one experiences it, he will likely remember it forever. The traits like: habitus, prominent smell, shape and size of pores, areolate surface of pilei with yellow colored cracks (Ref.1.), a thin, darker, like gelatinous, layer (see picture 7b) above the pore layer, citric yellow bruising when handled, blackish reaction of pore layer on Meltzer's reagent, hypha with simple septa and Picea abies as mycorrhizal partner, seem convincing for Albatrellus ovinus. However, spores of this find seem a bit large. Dimensions fit reasonably well to Ref.6., but are larger than data given by other authors. Also the pilei seem to me unusually yellow. My former finds were of more cream-colored to buff appearance. Ref. 2. and 4. allow (among others) 'yellowish' and 'sulfur-yellow' color too and hence the observed color may still be within expectations. The mushroom is very rare in Great Britain (Ref.3.). It is rapidly disappearing in Germany (Ref.:4.) because of general eutrophication, it is highly endangered and enlisted in their Red list. In Slovenia it is not protected and still quite common. Fungi were growing in a few groups with two to several fruit bodies, partly confluent; pilei diameter 5-8 cm; stipe 3-6 cm long and up to 1.3 cm in diameter; pore layer up to 2.8 mm thick, bruising yellow, pores 3-4/mm in average, small and round with entire dissepiments near the edge of the pilei and larger and more angular with deeply lacerate dissepiments near the stipe; pore layer has a thin darker layer above it; Metzler's reaction on pore surface blackish; taste distinctive, porridge like, strange, on what?; smell strong, pleasant, aromatic, can be detected from far; dried pilei hard, completely yellow, characteristic smell remains; SP too faint to enable color determination. Spores smooth. Dimensions: 4 [4,7 ; 5] 5,6 x 3,1 [3,6 ; 3,8] 4,2 microns; Q = 1 [1,3 ; 1,4] 1,6; N = 28; C = 95%; Me = 4,8 x 3,7 microns; Qe = 1,3. Hypha thin walled, simple septa, with irregular swellings, 4 - 30 microns in diameter. Olympus CH20, NEA 100x/1.25, magnification 1.000 x, oil; in water. AmScope MA500 digital camera. Herbarium: Mycotheca and lichen herbarium (LJU-Li) of Slovenian Forestry Institute, Vena pot 2, Ljubljana, Index Herbariorum LJF Ref.: (1) L. Ryvarden, R.L. Gilbertson, European Polypores, part 1., Synopsis Fungorum 7., Fungiflora A/S (1993)(1994), p 90. (2) A. Bernicchia, S.P. Gorjon, Cortitiaceaes .i., Fungi Europaei Vol.12., Edizioni Candusso (2010), p 80. (3) S. Buczacki, Collins Fungi Guide, Collins (2012), p 468. (4) G.J. Krieglsteiner (Hrsg.), Die Grosspilze Baden-Wrttembergs, Band 1., Ulmer (2000), p 474. (5) R. Phillips, Mushrooms, Macmillan (2006), p 299. (6) Micologia e Botanica Udinese, http://www.micologiaebotanica.it/micologia.html