Daldinia fissa C. G. Lloyd

TELEOMORPH | CULTURES AND ANAMORPH | SPECIMENS EXAMINED | NOTES

NOTES

The cultures and anamorphs that we observed are in general as those described by Martin (1969) except for the conidia being broader, 4.5-6 µm vs. 3.7-4.3 µm. The conidiogenous structure is usually born on an aerial hypha and has a slender main axis. The stromata produced in culture form white and dark brown alternating concentric rings as found in their naturally-occurring counterparts. Once again, the ring formation in D. fissa did not involve abortive perithecia (also see NOTES on D. singularis ).

Child (1932) stated that "From the early descriptions and illustrations, H. concentricum var. obovatum is clearly synonymous with D. vernicosa, ...". Fries (1823), in fact, erected var. obovata for Sphaeria concentrica rather than Hypoxylon concentricum. Meanwhile, he referred it to Persoon's Synopsis Methodica Fungorum I, Pl. 1, Fig. 3 and 4, and Nees' Das System der Pilze und Schwämme, Fig. 308. Child (1932) also considered Persoon's Sphaeria concentrica var. "stipitata" a synonym of D. vernicosa. She gave the citation as "Syn. Meth. Fung. 1: 8. pl. 1. figs 3-4". However, Persoon (1801, p. 8) did not create a var. stipitata but var. pedicellata. Interestingly, Persoon (1801), in the EXPLICATIO ICONUM, gave a legend to the illustrations of his stipitate variety of Sphaeria concentrica and happened to phrase it as "Sphaeria concentrica, var. stipitata". This may have led Child (1932) to consider that Persoon had introduced a new variety, stipitata. Despite these minor disagreements with Child's citations, we agree with her in the synonymy of S. concentrica var. obovata, D. vernicosa, and D. fissa. Owing to Fries (1823) referring his var. obovata to Persoon's figures, it is reasonable to consider this variety a nomenclatural synonym of Persoon's var. pedicellata. Nees (1817) merely copied Persoon's figures and referred to Persoon's Synopsis without giving much further account.

Child (1932) mentioned that D. simulans differs from D. vernicosa in usually having smaller stromata, in having a brownish rather than a purplish stromatal surface which is somewhat transversely rugose in young material, and in having a stipe which is "more conspicuously annulate from the internal concentric zones". Child (1932) also remarked that D. simulans is physiologically distinct from D. vernicosa. It appears that the morphological characters used by Child to separate these two putative Daldinia species are rather variable and thus not definitive in separating two species.

The type specimen of Versiomyces cahuchucosus Whalley & Watling [AUSTRALIA: Queensland, Boobara National Park, Watling, R. 10838, wood of Eucalyptus (E, HOLOTYPE)] is more or less depauperate. No asci were observed. Its morphology is in general in agreement with D. fissa. Although Child (1932) considered D. fissa to be cosmopolitan, as far as we know, this fungus is represented mostly by collections from the Northern Hemisphere, mainly North America and Eurasia. We suspect that V. cahuchucosus and D. fissa are synonyms, but withhold a final decision until better specimens are available.