Fróðskaparrit - 01.01.1991, Qupperneq 73

Thefirst record of Descolea antarctia Sing.
(Basidiomycetes, Agaricales) from
the northern hemisphere
Jan Vesterholt & Jens H. Petersen
The genus Descolea
In 1951 Singer discribed the genus Des-
colea based on Descolea antarctica, a
species from the Nothofagus stands of Ti-
erra del Fuego, Argentina. Since then
several other taxa have been added to the
genus, and Horak (1971) includes a total
of 8 species.
The slender fruitbodies of some of the
species may superficially resemble Pholio-
tina species, but microscopically the verru-
cose spores without a germ pore are very
different. Other species of Descolea pro-
duce more fleshy fruitbodies, which may
appear similar to species of Rozites — a
genus with which Descolea is closely re-
lated. All Descolea species are believed to
form mycorrhiza, and at least 5 of these
are known to grow with various species of
Nothofagus in the southern hemisphere.
According to Horak (op. cit.) each of
these 5 species have a very narrow area of
distribution. Three of them have only been
found on New Zealand and the other two
are known from two separate areas of
Chile and Argentina. Descolea anarctica is
the only species of its genus known from
Tierra del Fuego, which is the origin of the
introduced Nothofagus trees of the Faroe
Islands.
Description based on Faroe material
Pileus 20-45 mm, convex to campanulate,
then expanding with a low, broad umbo,
shiny when wet, dull and slightly mica-
ceous when dry, centre chestnut brown
(8EF8), towards margin paler and more
yellowish brown (5B4), (colours referring
to Kornerup & Wanscher 1974), striate at
margin, weakly hygrophaneous, often with
whitish remnants of universal veil. Lamel-
lae free or very narrowly adnate, fairly
crowded, pale ochraceous brown, edge
serrulate. Stipe 40-70 x 3-6 mm, cylindrical
or basally widened up to 9 mm, apex pale
ochraceous brown, downwards more yell-
ow-brown, under the ring with white
adpressed fibrils. Ring pendant, mem-
branaceous and persistent, pale, upper
side striate. Smell and taste indistinct.
Fróðskaparrit 38.-39. bók (1989-90): 77-80