Llanelli Naturalists Newsletter - Winter 1991/1992
Phillip Jones

Two field meetings to look for fungi were held during October. The first on 19th October was a joint meeting with Dyfed Wildlife Trust and the Pembrey Country Park guided walk programme. About twenty forayed in the morning and almost as many during the afternoon with some joining both sessions. As there were several families with children, plenty of specimens were collected for identification. It was interesting having someone from Latvia collecting fungi to eat as he had been brought up to recognize certain edible species which most British people would treat with utmost suspicion.

Although a fair range of natural and semi-natural dune areas are present, the Country Park (SN40-00-etc) does not have a great diversity of trees, partially limiting the variety of species, but a reasonable number of different group'; were collected. From a mycological point of view, Pembrey is "the third nest well-documented" Welsh dune site (Rotheroe, 1985-6), and this survey by Maurice Rotheroe in the winter of 1985-6 yielded a number of species new to the area including Inocybe  fastigiata forma arenicola a distinct white-capped agaric that pushes up through bare sand on mature fixed dunes, which was a new British record, though it was subsequently found on Whiteford, Gower and at Newborough in Anglesey. The gasteromycete Lycopodum lividum was another rather uncommon species found by this survey

The Country Park has a wide variety of Gasteromycetes. the "puff-ball" group of fungi. This group includes the "earth stars" and Geastrum triplex can be found at many sites in the Forest. Tulostoma brumale, a tiny puff-ball on a matchstick-like stalk, is an uncommon species found in sandy habitat. During the day. collections were made of the largest of the Gasteromycetes. the "giant puff-ball" Langermannia gigantea and also one of the smaller of the group Bovista limosa (Ing, 1989 & Rotheroe 1991). B.  limosa was until recently, only recorded in Britain from the Lancashire dunes at Ainsdale and more recently collected from Newborough Warren, Anglesey. Finding this species in the Country Park is therefore exciting and further evidence of the natural history value of old "grey dune" areas with sparse vegetation. In contrast, the giant puff-ball was found on one of the recently created banks separating the car parks which were covered in chicken manure and are therefore nitrogen-rich with rank vegetation.

Two "jelly fungi", the second of which has not previously been recorded from Pembrey were found. Pseudohydnum gelatinosum (Tallowin. 1972) is found on rotten wood, generally conifers, and when young is white and translucent; the lower fertile surface is covered with soft spines. Tremiscus helvelloides (Bon. undated) is a conspicuous salmon-pink colour and of interest as in recent years it seems to have spread westwards and northwards from the south of England where it was once only rarely found.

The second field meeting was at Carreg Cennen Castle (SN668191) on 26 October. This meeting was again well-attended with participants coming from a wide area (including holiday visitors from Nottingham who had seen the notice of meetings at the Penclacwydd Wildfowl Centre). The area just beneath the Castle has a rich variety of brightly-coloured fungi, mainly of the Hygrophorous group which generally have a greasy or viscid cap and vivid colours with various shades of red and yellow, white or green (including the "Parrot Wax Cap", Hygrocybe psittacina). In the same area where the grass is short, three species of "earth-tongue" were collected, Trichoglossum hirsutum Geoglossum (?cookeianum) and Microglossum  viride.    Clavulinopsis corniculata and

fusiformis were collected before entering the wooded area (mainly oak and ash) below the castle where collecting was reasonably good including Fistulina hepatica the "beefsteak fungus" but only one bolete, Boletus badius was found. The short circular walk was completed with about 50 species collected.

Edith Jones brought a fungus from her farm, Wenallt. Meinciau (SN471109) near Pontyates for identification. This had attracted her attention as there were tufts of this fungus growing out of an old silage bag. those large cylinders of black plastic now regularly seen in fields. A report of this fungus, Schizophyllum commune (Webster, 1991) found growing in a similar situation is recorded in the recent edition of "The Mycologist" by Prof. Webster who found it in October 1990 on bales in fields at Bovey Tracey, Devon. This species is said to be more common in Central Europe and the tropics but considered rare in Britain although more frequently collected in south-east England. The gills of this genus are interesting as trey are split lengthwise so that the fertile surface can curl up in dry conditions preserving the developing spores which can then mature when conditions become more favourable.

A report of the field meeting held at Pembrey Forest on 11th May was given in the Summer 1991 Newsletter by Richard Pryce. Morels Morchella esculents were found near the new pond (SN393027). This edible species is uncommon but a few are found each spring near the Burry Port "windmills" (SN463008 etc) and sometimes at other locations in the forest.

References

Bon, M. The Mushrooms and Toadstools of Britain and NW Europe. Hodder & Stoughton: 324

Ing, B. (1989) Puffballs. Mycologist 2 part 3:126

Rotheroe, M. (1985-6) A comparative survey of the mycoflora of Welsh sand dunes 1985/6. NCC Internal Report

Rotheroe, M. (1991)    Personal Communication.. Bovista limosa collected from Whiteford Burrows, W.Glamorgan.

Tallowin, S.N. (1970) The Mycological Interest of the Afforested part of Towyn Burrows. In "Welsh Wildlife in Trust" (Ed. W.S. Lacey) North Wales Nat. Trust: 140

Tallowin, S.N. (1972) Pers. comm. Specimen confirmed by KEW - collected in Pembrey Forest.     Webster, J. (1991)    Schizophyllum in Hay Bales. Mycologist 1, part 3:118