Sarcosoma globosum
Description
Sarcosoma globosum is a species of fungus in the family Sarcosomataceae. This a near-threatened fungus is native to Northern Europe. It is rarely found in some parts of northeastern North America, particularly in the Great Lakes region. It is an ascomycete or sac fungus, meaning that its microscopic structure utilizes the ascus, a spore-bearing cell, for sexual reproduction. It is a detritivore, and survives on the decomposing matter, most commonly leaf litter. It is found in spruce forests and does not currently have any human uses.
This mushroom fruits from the forest floor in close vicinity to moving bodies of waters like rivers and streams. After springtime floods make these areas nutrient-rich and moist, the species develops its sexual phase, bearing haploid spores that spread via wind currents.
The distribution of Sarcosoma globosum seems to be nemoral-boreal-montane. It always grows in the same kind of habitats, characterized by the vicinity of rivers and brooks. Though the fungus can sometimes be very difficult to find when hiding deep in the moss carpet, it is so striking in characters, that people have noticed it and also informed museums and researchers about it.
Sarcosoma Globosum is nationally red-listed or classified as rare in 12 countries and regions in Europe. It has proven success in survey extensive selective logging, but it is unable to persist in clear-cut forests. It is important to prevent overgrowth in forest regions to allow for populations to survive.
The species is rare, with only 80 reported observations in Finland since 1915.
Common names: Witches Cauldron, Charred-Pancake Cup.
History
It was first described in 1793 by Casimir Christoph Schmidel. Johann Xaver Robert Caspary transferred it to the genus Sarcosoma in 1891.
Photo sources:
Photo 1 - Author: Irene Andersson (irenea) (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Photo 2 - Author: Tõnu Pani (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Photo 3 - Author: Staffan Kyrk (CC BY 3.0)
Photo 4 - Author: Tõnu Pani (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Photo 5 - Author: Павлик Лисицын (CC BY-SA 4.0)
