Around 20 to 30 individual fruitbodies varying in size from 25mm tall to 50mm tall, scattered in an area approximately 10 metres across, on rotting Beech leaf litter, in the above mentioned deciduous part of the forest.
Ground conditions very damp, consisting of mossy hummocks with several inches of rotting Beech leaf debris collected in the troughs between the hummocks.

They have the general looks of Cordyceps, but were definitely attached directly to the Beech leaves.
No signs whatsoever that they could have been/previously had been growing from any sort of dead insect or pupa.

They have a faintly spotted head, with a noticeable delineation between the head and the plain (slightly floccose) white stalk below.

I left the fruitbodies sitting on a microscope slide overnight, and they produced a very substantial white spore drop.

Under the microscope, the majority of spores (in the thousands) were found to be averaging 2.1µ (and almost spherical in shape).

However, there were also quite large numbers of spores (in the hundreds) which were ovoid, averaging 3.9µ in length x 2.1µ in diameter.

No discernible oil drops or other internal features observed in the spores. (In water and also in lactophenol cotton blue, which was readily taken up).

The asci were 16-spored, ranging between 76µ and 89µ in length x 2.5µ to 3µ width. (Average of the measured asci being 85µ x 3µ).

Unfortunately, my microscope camera software has ceased to work following a recent Windows 10 update, and so I cannot include microphotographs.

I would greatly appreciate any suggestions for species / genus.

Kind regards,
Mike Valentine.

Andgelo Mombert, 01-10-2023 15:19

Re : Cordyceps-like unknown - Identification Request

Hello, it's Trichoderma leucopus.