Nickey Line Fungal List

Nickey Line Fungal List

In October 2008, the county’s fungal recorder, Alan Outen, led a fungal foray on the Nickey Line and gave a most entertaining explanation of the numerous fungi which were handed to him for identification. Fears that the Nickey Line might not have had many fungi were soon dispelled, and despite many of the fungi examined looking fairly similar, most of them turned out to be different from previous samples handled!

Fungi play a very important role in helping to decay organic matter, an odourless process, unlike bacterial decay, which is usually associated with unpleasant smells.

We learned that there are about 15,000 fungi in the UK, with new species being added all the time. Identification books sold in the UK only list a few hundred species, however, and expertise and a microscope are needed for many. Attempts have been made to give the fungi English names rather than the Latin names used by the experts, but these have largely failed. The whole fungi should be lifted to aid identification as the sleeves, rings, the gills, spores, colour and smell can all be useful indicators.

In excess of 90 species were found on the foray, including a probable Sowerbyella radicata, a species rare in Hertfordshire, which Alan was going to send to Kew for accurate typing. Alan kindly sent the Friends a detailed list of the fungi found:

FUNGUS SPECIES RECORDED FOR NICKEY LINE/ KNOTT WOOD

Foray of 22 Oct 2008 am only – Species identified by Alan R Outen and Kerry Robinson

Habitat/ species associations are given where noted, however these details were otherwise not recorded in many instances.