Chlorocyboria blue-greenish (Chlorociboria aeruginascens )
Systematics:
- Department: Ascomycota (Ascomycetes)
- Subdivision: Pezizomycotina (Pesizomycotins)
- Class: Leotiomycetes (Leocyomycetes)
- Species: Chlorociboria aeruginascens (blue-greenish chlorocyboria)
Synonyms:
-
Chlorosplenium aeruginascens
- Chlorosplenium aeruginosum var. aeruginascens
- Peziza aeruginascens
Evidence of the presence of chlorocyboria catches the eye much more often than she herself – these are areas of wood painted in beautiful blue-green tones. Responsible for this is xylidein, a pigment from the quinone group.
The wood colored by him, the so-called 'green oak', has been highly valued by woodcarvers since the Renaissance.
Fungi of the genus Chlorocyborium are not considered to be 'true' wood-destroying fungi, which include the white and brown rot-causing basidiomycetes. It is possible that these ascomycetes cause only slight damage to the cell walls of wood cells. It is also possible that they do not destroy them at all, but simply populate wood that has already been sufficiently destroyed by other fungi.
External description
Chlorocyboria is blue-greenish – saprophyte, it grows on already rather rotten, barkless dead trunks, stumps and branches of deciduous trees. Blue-green colored wood can be seen throughout the year, but fruiting bodies are usually formed in summer and autumn. This is a fairly common species in the temperate zone, but fruiting bodies are rare – despite their bright color, they are very small.
Fruiting bodies are initially cup-shaped, with age they flatten, turning into 'saucers' or discs of an irregular shape, 2-5 mm in diameter, usually on a displaced or even lateral (less often on the central) leg 1-2 mm long. The upper spore-bearing (inner) surface is smooth, bright turquoise, darkens with age; lower sterile (outer) glabrous or slightly velvety, may be slightly lighter or darker. When dry, the edges of the fruiting body curl inward.
The pulp is thin, turquoise. The smell and taste are inexpressive. Due to its extremely small size, nutritional quality is not even discussed.
Spores 6-8 x 1-2 µ, from nearly cylindrical to fusiform, smooth, with oil droplets at both tips.
Similar species
Outwardly very similar, but more rare blue-green chlorocyboria (Chlorociboria aeruginosa) differs in smaller and usually very regular fruiting bodies on the central, sometimes almost completely absent, leg. It has a lighter (or lighter with age) upper (spore-bearing) surface, yellowish flesh and larger spores (8-15 x 2-4 µ). She paints wood in the same turquoise tones.
