Hysterangiales » Gallaceaceae » Gallacea

Gallacea scleroderma

Gallacea scleroderma (Cooke) Lloyd 1905, in Castellano & Beever, New Zealand Journal of Botany, 32(3), 305-328 (1994).

Etymology: Literally from Greek sclero, hard, and derma, skin, but in this context in reference to the macroscopic resemblance of the basidioma to those of Scleroderma spp.

Diagnosis: Basidiomata up to 10cm diam., globose to depressed, larger specimens irregularly dimpled and grooved, purple to violet when fresh, paler where exposed, bruising brown, surface tomentose to scaly. Gleba olive brown, deep yellowish brown to dark greyish brown; locules elongate to irregular, partially filled with spores; developing large schizogenous cavities up to 2 cm diam. at maturity. Rhizomorphs attached at base, up to 1 mm diam., concolorous with peridium near base, white distally. Columella often poorly developed, dendroid, translucent when fresh, dark brown when dried. Taste slightly peppery. Odour nil. Peridium not separable from gleba, a single layer, up to 1500 µm thick, of hyaline, thin-walled, loosely interwoven, somewhat gelatinised hyphae 7-8 µm  in diam. near gleba, with inflated, isodiametric cells up to 70 µm diam. near surface, clamp connections absent; surface cells yellowish brown with areas of pale violet to violet pigment (when mounted in KOH) and adherent crystalline particles; near gleba sterile locules contiguous with subcutis and lined with basidium-like inflated cells, sometimes with locule wall against gleba fertile. Inflated cells poorly developed in young specimens. Sutures absent. Trama up to 70 µm thick, of hyaline, thin-walled, mostly collapsed, subparallel to loosely interwoven hyphae, 2-3 µm diam. in a gelatinised matrix, clamp connections absent. Basidia elongate to subclavate, 6-8 µm diam. at apex c. 3 µm at base x 24-35 µm, hyaline, thin-walled, 4-6-spored. Spores smooth, 8-10.5 × 4-5 µm, ellipsoid; apex obtuse, base obtuse, with or without a distinct asymmetric sterigmal attachment up to 2 µm long ×1 µm wide; wall c. 1 µm thick. Utriele absent. Spore eolour in KOH yellow olive singly, brown in mass.

Index Fungorum Number: IF431682

 

Figure 1. Gallacea scleroderma. A, Basidioma exterior and in section (PDD 48939). B, Basidiospores by bright field (PDD 48939). C, Basidiospores by SEM (PDD 48936). Scale: I cm (A), 10 µm (B, C).

 

Reference:

Castellano, M. A., & Beever, R. E. (1994). Truffle-like Basidiomycotina of New Zealand: Gallacea, Hysterangium, Phallobata, and Protubera. New Zealand Journal of Botany, 32(3), 305-328.

 

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