Trichoglossum walteri
Description
Trichoglossum walteri looks like a black finger sticking out of the ground and can be up to 9 cm high. It sometimes has a flattened head with a distinct groove running vertically down the fruiting body. Its stem can be brownish and appears hairy with jet black needle-like structures (setae) projecting from the fruiting body which can be seen with a hand lens.
As it is an ascomycete (spore shooter), it forms spores on the outside of the fruiting body. These have to be examined microscopically to be able to identify the species. When this is done, the setae are very distinctive. The spores also have to be examined. The spores are narrow, 70-100µm long and are consistently seven septate (perpendicular divisions within the spores) when mature.
The species is known from Europe and North America. Occurrences outside this are assumed to belong to other species. In Europe, it occurs in many countries in the lowland, coastal areas. In Scandinavia, the species is found most often in the southern, coastal parts of Norway, Sweden, and Denmark, in the boreonemoral and southern boreal vegetation zone, occasionally in the middle boreal zone. The species occurs in North America (e.g. Grund and Harrison 1967, GBIF 2019).
Common names: Walter's Earth Tongue, Raspikieli (Finland), Walters Haarzunge (Germany), Middelsporige ruige aardtong (Netherlands), Vranglodnetunge (Norway), Knubbig hårjordtunga (Sweden).
Trichoglossum walteri Habitat & Ecology
The European population of Trichoglossum walteri grows in mycologically rich but nutrient-poor semi-natural grasslands, often on acid soil in grasslands surrounded by heath. Semi-natural grasslands are rapidly disappearing due to changes in land use. In Norway, almost all localities of the species are in semi-natural grasslands and some few times in broadleaved forests (Jordal et al. 2016), and similar patterns are found in other European countries. In North America, habitat information is sparse; one record is from a wooded ravine in Nova Scotia (Grund and Harrison 1966). The nutrient strategy is unknown but it could have some kind of biotrophy or mycorrhiza, like waxcaps (Nitare 1988).
Life Cycle
Earth tongues typically appear late in the season with a peak in November and are often found in December as well so it would not be surprising if this species is also found so late in the season.
Look-Alikes
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Distinguished by longer spores that are up to 15 septate. If spores are consistently 7 septate (as in T. walteri), make sure they are no longer broken spores of T. hirsutum. Trichoglossum spores should have obtuse, rounded ends and not perpendicular edges.
Trichoglossum rasum
Has 7 to 9 septate spores that are longer than those of T. walteri.
Trichoglossum variable
Has spores that are 9 to 12 septate.
Photo sources:
Photo 1 - Author: Sava Krstic (sava) (CC BY-SA 3.0)
