Here is what I believe to be a Hymenoscyphus growing on very wet wood which was lying in mud and water in a New York park. They have a long stipe and convex hymenium. Trees nearby included Fagus, Quercus, Tsuga. My hunch is that the wood is hardwood. 

Asci are IKI+ with croziers, 101-108 x 11.4-12.7µm.

Spores are fusiform, rounded at the ends with multiple guttules, occasionally 1-septate, 14.1-21.6 x 4.1-6.3µm.

Paraphyses branch, with oil content (I think).

The stipe excipulum is textura prismatica, and there is brown pigment among the cells. The medulliary excipulum is textura angularis verging on textura globulosa.

Long ago on this forum I posted something similar (but with a shorter stipe) which Zotto suggested might be Hymenoscyphus varicosporoides. Could this be that as well?

Thanks in advance,

Ethan

Hans-Otto Baral, 19-08-2025 22:04

Re : Hymenoscyphus ? on very wet wood

Hi Ethan

yes, I think H. varicosporioides. I am unaware of such long stalks, however.

Zotto

Hans-Otto Baral, 20-08-2025 06:57

Re : Hymenoscyphus ? on very wet wood

I see similar long stipes in a Spanish collection by J. Balda (18.II.2015, folder VBs-). Yours I considered VBs+, but the distinction between the two folders is a bit vague.

Hans-Otto Baral, 20-08-2025 17:27

Re : Hymenoscyphus ? on very wet wood

This is a matter of taste. What is for Peter a family is for me a subgroup of Hymenoscyphus. Peter's arguments are mostly genetical. I had accepted Phaeohelotium as a genus but now include it in Hymenscyphus, as I do with Cudoniella. Cudoniella could be used for C. varicosporioides, but the consequences would be very complicated and unsatisfying.