Dear friends, long time no see. I had a difficult period and now things look bright again. I have few updates, and I start with this one.
I managed to isolate pure colonies of this, sequenced them and got a good result for Sarcopodium vanillae (Petch) B. Sutton (syn. Actinostilbe vanillae). I believe we are seeing the anamorph.
Hi Oehrling,
The aim of the post was mainly a discussion on L.sordida and closely related species (in particular, L. nuda), but then the post got a strange path when there was a lot of contradictions between characters referable for L. sordida and L. nuda. Contradictions both between different user's comments and different literature. This hence led me to further research and even revisiting the island where the population was found to shed more light. I dont think this is some new species, but L. sordida is maybe a more Mediterranean species, and I wanted to express that it can easily be confused with L. nuda.
One can of course, don't agree with my interpretation, but for scope of education and scientific observation, the pictures and findings are recorded here so maybe they serve as a reference for future readers and further discussion. I am not trying to convince anyone but simply sharing my opinion/findings/pics.
FInally, after consulting several sources these days - the most reliable feature is the robustness and fleshiness of the fruiting bodies. The best feature here is the stipe because I have seen some L. sordida with big caps, but the stipe is always the shape of a cigarette (5-10 mm wide) even in large specimens whereas L. nuda have a very thick columnar (Cigar-like 
) stipe.
Look here for comparison
https://www.mykoweb.com/CAF/photos/Clitocybe_tarda+nuda_fs-01.jpg
from
L. sordida with big cap but narrow stipe (my pic from Comino island)
Second comes the scent which seems to be more persistently aromatic in L. nuda (according literature) but fades away quickly in L. sordida (young specimens are flower/faintly pine-resin scented!)
I looked both species up in a pretty famous but German key for Basidiomycetes (Gröger) and he distinguishes them pretty much with the colour. He notes that L. sordida isn't purple at all. It can contain some purple hues, but it should never have a purple stipe, purple gills or even a purple cap.
I think this is not correct, several sources describe or illustrate L. sordida with violet-lilac colours (see my selection below), but that comment is only true in mature/old specimens which lose scent and their violaceous colours completely.
Lepista sordida, Sordid Blewit identification
Lepista sordida (Schumach.) Singer 1951 media - Encyclopedia of Life
Dear friends. I took this topic a bit more seriously and went to visit the same population 7 days later (no rain) and I am understanding this species a bit better, and I may surprise you a bit. We are talking about a small area of 30x50m. I have photos of the same specimens I photographed above (fresh), and one week later, I can draw some conclusions.
1. I believe that the population is homogeneous, belonging to one Lepista sp.
2. Size of caps varies considerably, but the stipe is always slender, cigarette thick (<10mm)
3. All specimens are hygrophanous (less evident in the fresh/young individuals)
4. There is a gradual change in colour of the pileus and stipe when the fruiting body is ageing, initially (young individuals) are always maroon-violet, rather dull, then gradually become straw to light brown when fully mature/dieing out.
5. The gills also change colour, clean lilac-violet when young, brownish with pinish-lilac hues (esp in the sun) when old
5. The very young fruiting bodies do have a noticeable aromatic scent, somewhat like the pine-resin or fruity, but it definitely fades to nothing when the fruiting body is ageing
6. All specimens clump a lot of pine needles (a few also growing from cones)
7. All specimens produce a white spore print which, when abundant it gets a cream to beige colour.
Please see the photos where in Lepista2.jpg, I photographed side by side the same specimen 6 days later in situ (the violet tones all went when the fb got old) whereas in Lepista3.jpg and Lepista4.jpg I took a sequence of fresh to aging to old fruiting bodies collected in situ at the same time.
I am concluding that these are Lepista sordida in my ignorance of what L. nuda do when dries up, but from the literature, there seems to be a consensus that L. nuda is a non-hygrophanous species (or faintly so), has a robust stem, possess a persistent fruity-aromatic scent, does not brown a great deal with age (because it is not hygrophanous) and keeps its violet colours through its lifespan. I think one should revise the ideas a bit and maybe you have some L.sordida labelled as L. nuda (from the responses I got).
Now with regards L. nuda vs L. sordida = the classical mycologist question - my background knowledge (probably owned from Italian mycologists) is that to tell apart the following apply:
1. L. nuda has strong violet colours vs L.sordida just a hint and pale hue with brownish being dominant [rate of importance 4/5, easy to detect: 3/5];
2. L. nuda has an aromatic scent vs L. sordida just a faint or none - [rate of importance 5/5, easy to detect: 4/5];
3. L. nuda is a robust large species with thick stipes vs L. sordida which is smaller and slender stipe - [rate of importance 2/5, easy to detect: 3/5];
4. L. nuda is not hygrophanous vs L. sordida which is a lot - [rate of importance 3/5, easy to detect: 5/5];
These specimens were hygrophanous, some had a brown component (but some deeply maroon-violet), generally not strongly scented and slender-stiped. Yet here I see opposing comments, and it is not only here >>> The link below shows the huge contrasting argument between nuda and sordida - more or less like here
How to distinguish between Lepista nuda and L. sordida - UK Fungi
Slenderness seems arguable ( L. nuda f. gracilis with stipe 3-7mm makes this character a bit useless if truly so)
According the Italians, they are fixed on the above:
ZitatSimile alla Lepista nuda, si distingue da questa per un portamento meno robusto, per cromatismi più diluiti, il cappello igrofano e per l'assenza di odore aromatico intenso, diversamente fungino rancido.
=
[L.sordida] is similar to L. nuda but is distinguished by being less robust, colours [violets] less intense, hygrophanous cap and lacking aromatic odour which is intense in L. nuda while acrid/rancid in L. sordida
L. sordida
L. nuda
When I see all the images of the above pages almost start seeing no distinction apart extremes of the said species and a lot of intermediate morphologies. I guess both species have been separated genetically?
So I am still a bit confused due to different opinions in many schools of mycology (are we dealing with a single variable species?). SOS!
Dear all, I am quite surprised with the comments (both the number and the comments per see), and there is a lot to discuss.
This post is about the option Cortinarius.
Starting with the possibility of Cortinarius, I think the only candidate of a possible Cortinarius is the large brown specimen with image number 5246, 5249 5251 with swelling at the stipe. The sad news is that I did not collect it. There was only one like it, and I thought I should keep it there (conservation instinct!), but now, knowing it could be a Cortinarius, I feel a bit of regret (taxonomist instinct!). Looking the grass beneath, there is a rusty brown deposit! On the other hand the first photo (IMG_5229) and the rest are definitely Lepista although this specimen was not collected - the brownness suggested to me to be the usual L. sordida.
Cortinarius s.l. is super rare in Malta, and a find would merit a paper!
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/354834070_Cortinarius_ayanamiiBorziana2_081-086
It is lovely to see how colorful the ladies dress - really impressive. Here in boring Europe, but according to some Europe Communion tops think we are the centre of the universe, can't do much from black, navy blue, gray and brown clothes (sample from my work office today lol!).
It is really sad to remember that wealth in the world is not equally spread and that certain third-world countries are neglected but have so much to offer !
Alles anzeigenKm 7,492 Serrekunda (Banjul). First impression: The Gambia is actually even hotter than Senegal. The exit from Senegal went quite quickly, the entry of the people to Gambia as well, the entry of the car was a bit more complicated, I'll spare the details, two hours later we were inside. First military check, a misinterpreted stop signal and 50 EUR change hands. We had the following 19 (!) police controls over 200km better under control:
How are you?
Nice to be in the Gambia again.
Where do you come from?
We come from Germany, 7 thousand 3 hundred kilometers.
With this car???
yes
Do you have a pen?
Do you have children?
Yes, two.
This is for your children, it comes from the heart, and you can taste one as well.
Thank you, good arrival.
This way, the bags of gummy bears reach Banjul and everyone is happy.
And now enjoy today's pictures, we'll fly back on the 8th, we'll definitely do something else.
Kabacoto Lodge wakes up, morning light over Grand Bao Bolon:
We're not the only ones leaving early:
...and again and again the pretty Gambian women in their beautiful dresses:
AAhhh Ok the southbound thread (not threat! hehe!)
Well, Sandra for a start you can visit my website http://www.MaltaWildplants.com to see most wild plants growing in Malta. I also administer a facebook group called "Malta Wild Plants" were you can join and see most of the things you said u wish to see. Of course I keep loyal to this wonderful forum with regards to fungi and slime molds which contains so many kind people who do their best to reply my stupid posts and ID requests ( ) and I feel very welcomed!
Don't worry about the english - important that we communicate not to be perfect writers.
I leave you with a photo taken yesterday!
Lepista nuda is morphologically closely related (similar) but various literature states it is more intense violet, it is more robust (e.g. the stipe) and foremost it has an aromatic-fruity scent which sordida lack. I did not smell all the specimens so I dont exclude a nuda within a sordida population. The most interesting is however the last three images (in the field) showing a bulkier and beige fruiting body lacking tones of violet.
Hello I am a local Maltese botanist and every now and then I visit the peaceful island of Comino. There are patches of aforested Pine trees which hold some interesting fungi and slime moulds. Never heard about the southbound threat! I'll check it on google!!!
RegardS
Steve
For long I wished to find and collect the beautiful Leoarpus fraglis and finally, I was lucky on the island of Comino. The fruiting bodies are more spherical than the usual pear-shaped bodies but I think it is part of the species variation. Plasmodium yellow, Peridium bronze brown, shiny, inner crust golden yellow, spore mass pitch black.
The scent (without crushing the fruiting body) was mild except one which was moderately aromatic. The taste was detectable somewhat bitter-aromatic in a few specimens, less pronounced in the majority.
Dear friends, I recently bumped into a large population of Lepista sordida under an afforested copse of pine trees (Pinus halapensis). There were dozens of them, and apart from two Inocybe sp. and a Tapinella, there were no other fruiting bodies. Apart from the typical forms, there were some which were lilac and light beige-mauve and the one which seemed to be most different was completely ocre-beige. Hygrophany was observed. I wish your comments about these specimens and whether you think that they are all Lepista sordida as was my original thought or if there other species involved such as
Lepista nuda
Lepista glaucana
Lepista caespitosa....
I am particularly concerned for the individual in images 5248, 5249,5251 which is the most different from the specimens.
This is the mother key from the monograph Agaricus which splits iodosmus (lead 11a) from xanthodermus (lead 11b). I thought the ring is patent without cogwheel radiations. I might be wrong but for learning purposes it would be nice to discuss.
11a.- Annulus patent (rigid, not pliable), close to the stipe, with margin exhibiting three rims, with- out scales arranged into a cogwheel on the underside. Cheilocystidia either with cylindrical to clavate terminal element (simple or multiseptate) or very polymorphous (simple, with a basal septum or catenulate).
11b.- Annulus pendent (hanging and pliable), separate from the stipe, broken up on the underside into a cogwheel of radial scales, only exceptionally appearing appressed to the stipe and unbro- ken, but in this case the margin is thick and does not show three rims. Cheilocystidia typically simple, usually shortly pedunculate, globose, ovoid or pyriform, occasionally catenulate, non- multiseptate.
gimme some time 
Cheilocystidia shape and sizes, caulocystidia, and if present throughout the whole length of the stipe (this might be hard to check on dry specimen)
Quick note before I sleep... the gills seemed to be widely spaced but I think I was dealing with an old population (expand with age?) and , 20 gills per cm = 2 per mm seems too crowded. Yet my book cl3arly states in the remarks that sepiarium is distinguished from abietinum from the KOH reaction and in the description of abietinum there iscwritten not reactive to KoH.
I think I misjudged the earthy artifacts as scaly projections when keying this specimen from photos.Observing with more attention the last pic, there is less crumbs which supports the idea of being earth that fell down when handling the specimens.I will check some more things and let u all know what I decided loo
Hi, i often reuse plastic petri dishes used to gtow mould on agar. I get good success by cleaning them in 90C water plus bleach plus liquid soap x2. I was thinking to add general soluable fungucide to the death potion,... What do u suggest? (something easily bought and quite cheap)
Seeking confirmation of Agaricus iodosmus
Medium-sized Agaricus, fruiting body 8 cm long , pileus 5cm across, phenol-scented, stipe yellow staining on bruising or cutting in half, flesh in upper parts turn reddish-brown, situated in an anthropogenic location under a copse of cultivated olive trees. Basidiospores subspherical to broadly-elliptical, measuring Me = 5.2 × 4.3 µm ; Qe = 1.2 ; Ve = 50 µm3.
These are the spores which measure Me = 11.4 × 6.9 ; Qe = 1.7 ; Ve = 283
(9.9) 10.2 - 12.3 (13.3) × (5.6) 6.3 - 7.4 (8.5)
Seems to be dextrinoid in Lugol's Iodine and I can't see a distinct Germ pore ....
I am working on this small fungus in grassy land under mixed pine forest. Flesh in stipe reddish brown. Sopre print medium brown, similar to rust or tobacco,
One specimen dried at home.
Some initial guidance would be appreciated (Bolbitiaceae ? / Conocybe ? )
Thanks in advance
Steve/
I was reading Polypores of the Mediterranean Region and there was a nice clue on differentiating Gloeophyllum sepiarium from abietinum. G.Sep. forms a black reaction with KOH while G. ab. does not. My specimen (dried) did react strongly to 3% KOH; hence it must be some old population of G. sepiarium. Other hints leading to this determination include zonation at the outer parts of the fruiting body and warty sterile surface (no signs of hairs ?! but maybe because old?). Spores are said to be quite similar, so I did not check them.
drop of 3% KOH on sterile surface (edge and centre)
Pics in this webpage are also close to my specimens.
Thanks for the typo correction and notes. Yes it is between abietinum and sepiarium. I check the spores and literature on the genus shortly and report back my findings.
I am seeking you assistance on this interesting bracket fungus on fallen / logged stump of Pinus halapensis (31/1/23) which seems to produce rust-brown spore mass. Sample collected if I need to do some micro-work. The basidiomycetes are rather leathery-soft, and their width is about 3 cm.
Gloeophyllum ?
