FUNGI OF UKRAINE, RHYTISMATALES

COLPOMA Wallr. Rhytismataceae. 4 Ukrainian species on Juniperus, Ledum, Quercus, and various members of the Pinaceae.

1 on Quercus Colpoma quercinum
not on Quercus

2

2 (1) on Ledum Colpoma ledi
not on Ledum

3

3 (2) on Juniperus Colpoma juniperi
on members of the Pinaceae

Colpoma crispum

Colpoma crispum (Pers.) Sacc. [click here for picture]. Status. Native; 6 records since 18 July 1994, probably rather local and often overlooked. Months. June, July. Regions. Zakarpatska. Habitat. On dead, rather brittle but usually attached twigs of Picea abies, possibly having a rôle in the self-pruning of the tree. Notes. A rather poorly-known species with no recent descriptions; it has been confused with Colpoma juniperi in the past; in fresh material Colpoma crispum has an almost bluish hymenium, whereas that of Colpoma juniperi is pale grey. Worldwide. A small number of records on twigs and bark of various conifers from Europe and North America; some of these records are probably incorrectly identified. References. Minter & Dudka (1996) [Ukrainian records].

Colpoma ledi (Alb. & Schwein.) B. Erikss. [click here for picture]. Status. Native; 1 record since July 1998, probably rather local and often overlooked. Months. July. Regions. Volyns'ka. Habitat. On dead, rather fragile but usually attached twigs of Ledum palustre. Notes. This is the first report of this species from Ukraine. In fresh material Colpoma ledi has a distinctly blue hymenium. Worldwide. A small number of records on twigs of Ledum species from Europe, mostly Scandinavia.

Colpoma juniperi (P. Karst. ex P. Karst.) Dennis [click here for picture]. Status. Native; 3 records since 19 July 1994; locally not rare, particularly in the higher parts of the Carpathian Mountains, where it can be found on old and naturally-occurring bushes of Juniperus, even in mountainous habitats up to ca 1800 m above sea level. Months. July. Regions. Zakarpatska. Habitat. On Juniperus communis subsp. nana and Juniperus sibirica; all records of this species are from living branches or dead branches still attached to the bush, usually at or just above ground level, usually deep within the canopy of the bush. Notes. The only species of Colpoma or Coccomyces known from branches of Juniperus in Europe; ascocarps of Colpoma juniperi are frequently colonized by the basidiomycete Tremella juniperina P. Karst., Fungi Fenniae Exsiccati no. 812, 1869. [Tremellales, Tremellaceae] which is here reported for the first time from Ukraine; in wet weather these fruitbodies expand, making it easier to locate the ascocarps beneath. Worldwide. On Juniperus spp., mainly Juniperus communis; most records are from Scandinavia, with a few others from western and central Europe; also known from Greenland and, possibly, North America. References. Minter (1997c) [description]; Minter & Dudka (1996) [Ukrainian records].

Colpoma quercinum (Fr.) Wallr. [click here for picture]. Status. Native; 69 records since 4 April 1923; widespread and usually abundant throughout Ukraine wherever Quercus is native, including trees in isolated hedgerows and suburban gardens. Months. April, May, June, July, August, September, October. Regions. Cherkassy, Chernihiv, Crimea, Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Kharkhiv, Kherson, Khmelnytskyi, Kiev, Luhansk, Lviv, Poltava, Rivne, Sumy, Ternopil, Vinnytsia, Zakarpatska, Zaporizhzhia, Zhytomyr. Habitat. Quercus petraea, Quercus pubescens, Quercus robur, Quercus sp.; inhabiting living twigs, perhaps as a symptomless endophyte associated with natural pruning or, perhaps less likely, causing a disease; fruiting initially on paler, brittle, dead attached twigs, which frequently later break off and fall to the litter; always fruiting within 12 months of twig death. Notes. No other member of the Rhytismatales is known to produce large ascomata on twigs of Quercus in Europe; other unrelated fungi are occasionally noted inhabiting the same fallen twigs. Worldwide. Widespread and common throughout Europe and into central Asia; one record from South America as an introduction. References. Heluta, Merezhko & Smik (1992) [Ukrainian records]; Minter (1988a) [description]; Minter & Dudka (1996) [Ukrainian records]; Morochovskii, Zerova, Lavitskaya & Smitskaya (1969) [Ukrainian records].


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Fungi of Ukraine, Rhytismatales: home page
Author: D.W. Minter