Hi Irina,

Yes, this really looks like V. rufo-olivacea. Everything seems to fit in, only I cannot help the feeling that your ascospores are looking eguttulate in microphots. Luckily, you did clearly write that spores are uni- or bi-guttulate as they suppose to be ;-)

Cheers,
Neven

I also agree. Your mics all refer to dead cells, so the drops are not seen in the spores, and also the typical green vacuoles in the large globose cells of the excipulum are absent, the contents therefore colourless.

Zotto

Thank you!

Spores within asci were non-guttulate, but  when free, they are clearly 1-2 guttulate. Maybe free spores are just mature enough.

Irina 

I assume your mounts were in tap water.

The oil drops develop quite early. It is not rare that asci and even spores are dead, even when freshly collecting a species. You can make the test: add KOH and you will see the oil drops much more distinct, also in the asci.

Zotto

Zotto,

This specimen is dry (and possibly dead) at least for 3 weeks, but today I made a preparation and clearly saw 1-2 guttulate spores.

Irina

 

Yes, I made all the preparations in water.

Irina

In a new water mount I see guttulate spores both free and within asci (photo)

Maybe, this fruitbody is still living?

Irina 

The spores seem so, yes, but the asci are clearly dead. They would be distinctly wider, and the spores more crowded near the apex, and I think subbiseriate.

Velutarina grows on attached twigs and may survive some weeks or more in the dry state. But the long drought in November was probably stressy for these fungi.

Yes Zotto,

My collections made in november/december in 1999 and 2009 in the same large area of flood Quercus robur dominated forest (Eastern Croatia) arrived in lab predominantly in dead state. It was long drought that occured in those autumns! Consequently, the asci were all dead but spores prevailed in living state. It is interesting that there were only hyaline living spores released from asci in some apos, but I remember that some contained almost only darkened warted ones outside asci!

Also, Irina, I think the hymenial colour is readily indicative when apothecia are just found in situ. If apothecia are full of life it will have more greenish-olivaceous hymenia (because of the green vacuoles in living paraphyse tips), while in predominantly dead apothecia, hymenia will be more ochraceous or even greyish...

So, you see - vital taxonomy is not so difficult and jet so joyful, powerful and useful when handling with species :-)

Neven

Neven, I fully agree about vital taxonomy:) And yes, green vacuoles were absent in all of the fruitbodies I examined.

Irina