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Key compiled by Brian Spooner, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew |
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1 |
Spores smooth or finely longitudinally striate under light microscope; guttules usually absent, rarely present |
2 |
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Spores ornamented with fine (oil immersion!) to coarse warts or reticulum under light microscope; guttules usually present, rarely absent |
24 |
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2(1) |
In sand dunes, apothecia hypogeous in development, long pseudostipe present (spores 15–17 × 9–10 µm) |
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In other habitats; not hypogeous in development; pseudostipe lacking |
3 |
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3(2) |
Ascospores fusoid, mostly over 30 µm long, finely longitudinally striate, with guttules; apothecia on soil, disc violaceous, c. 1 cm across |
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Ascospores ellipsoid, shorter than 30 µm, not striate; habitat, size and colour of disc various |
4 |
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4(3) |
Apothecia on dung or manured soil |
5 |
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Apothecia in other habitats |
6 |
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5(4) |
Apothecia 5–10 cm across, thick-fleshed, margin long incurved; gregarious, often densely so; hymenium commonly separating and becoming vesiculose with age; spores mostly 21–24 µm long, 11–14 µm wide; on manured soil |
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Apothecia smaller, 1–2 cm across, on horse or cow dung; spores 18–21 × 10–11 µm |
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6(4) |
On rotting vegetation; disc pinkish-brown (c. 1.5 cm diam.); spores eguttulate, 16–20 × 8–10 µm |
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On various substrates; disc brown, yellowish or violaceous; spores eguttulate or rarely guttulate, larger or smaller than above |
7 |
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7(6) |
Paraphyses moniliform or with lobed and inflated segments |
8 |
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Paraphyses simple, lacking inflated or lobed segments |
10 |
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8(7) |
Paraphyses with distinctly lobed segments; disc yellow-brown; apothecia on wet ground in spring (spores 16–18 × 9.5–11µm) |
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Paraphyses moniliform, lacking lobed segments; disc reddish-brown or fawn to greyish-brown; habitat various |
9 |
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9(8) |
Spores 14–16 × 8–10 µm; disc fawn to greyish-brown; on sawdust, soil, old plaster or sand (apothecia to 5 cm across) |
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Spores 19–22 × 10–11.5 µm; disc reddish- brown; on wet ground in spring (apothecia 1–2.5 cm across) |
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10(7) |
Spore length mostly in range 13–17 µm |
11 |
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Spore length mostly in range 18–24 µm |
14 |
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11(10) |
Apothecia violaceous, on burnt ground (1–3 cm across); spores 13–15 × 7.5–8 µm |
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Apothecia not violaceous, on other substrata or occasionally on burnt ground, variable in size; spores 14–17 × 8–10 µm |
12 |
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12(11) |
On rotten wood; short stipe often present; middle layer of interwoven hyphae usually well developed; short stipe often present (spores 15–17 × 8.5–9.5 µm) |
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On soil, rotten textiles, plaster, brickwork, mortar or on burnt ground; middle layer of interwoven hyphae thin; short stipe present or not |
13 |
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13(12) |
On plaster, brickwork, mortar etc.; disc pale, yellowish to cream; short stipe sometimes present (spores 14–16 × 8–9 µm) |
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On soil, rotten textiles or burnt ground; disc fawn-brown; short stipe lacking (spores 15–16 × 8–9.5 µm) |
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14(10) |
Apothecia brown to yellowish, on wood, wood-chips, sawdust, garden mulch or soil, rarely on burnt ground |
15 |
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Apothecia dark brown to blackish brown or purple to red-brown or violaceous, on rotten wood or bark, soil or burnt ground |
21 |
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15(14) |
Apothecia yellowish, on wood chips, compost or mulch; spores narrowly ellipsoid, mostly 8–9.5 µm diam. (18–21 µm long), ends slightly tapered |
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Apothecia fawn or darker, on wood or wood chips, or on soil; spores ellipsoid, mostly 10–13 µm diam. |
16 |
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16(15) |
Apothecia stipitate, up to 7 cm diam., margin often coarsely granular/pustular; apical cell of paraphyses with distinct yellowish guttules, penultimate cell often somewhat inflated; flesh not distinctly stratified, containing large, thin-walled cells to c. 250 µm diam.; on wood-chip mulch in hothouse (spores 20–23 × 10–13 µm) |
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Apothecia sessile, 1–5 cm diam., margin not or only finely granular; paraphyses lacking guttules, apical cells sometimes swollen or lobed; flesh stratified or not, lacking such large cells; on rotten wood, sawdust or soil |
17 |
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17(16) |
On rotten wood or sawdust, rarely on burnt ground; yellow-brown, flesh rather thick and virtually unstratified |
18 |
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On soil; fawn-brown to red-brown, flesh usually distinctly stratified |
19 |
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18(17) |
Spores 22–25 × 11–12 (13) µm; paraphyses apically irregularly swollen, curved and sometimes lobed; on rotten wood |
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Spores (17–) 18–21.5 × 9.5–11 (–12) µm; paraphyses not apically so modified; rarely on burnt ground |
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19(17) |
Spores 11–13 µm diam. (19–22.5 µm long); apothecia small, scarcely over 1 cm across |
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Spores 9–11 (–12) µm diam.; apothecia various in size |
20 |
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20(19) |
Apothecia cupulate, larger, up to 7 cm across, surface finely scurfy towards the margin (spores 19–22 µm long) |
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Apothecia saucer-shaped, smaller, c. 0.5–3 cm across, surface distinctly granular, margin often with small, irregular teeth (spores (17–) 18–21 µm long) |
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21(14) |
Apothecia < 1 cm diam., purple-brown; receptacle distinctly warted-granular, margin slightly denticulate; whitish basal anchoring hyphae present; on bark in wet places (spores 19–22 × 11–12.5 µm) |
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Apothecia 1–6 cm diam., dark brown to blackish-brown or violaceous; receptacle scurfy or pustular only at the margin; whitish anchoring hyphae lacking; on damp soil or burnt ground |
22 |
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22(21) |
Apothecia violaceous, to c. 6 cm diam., basally thick-fleshed; spores guttulate, 19–23 µm long (10–11.5 µm wide) |
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Apothecia dark brown to blackish-brown, to c. 2 cm diam., thin-fleshed; spores eguttulate, 17–20 µm long |
23 |
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23(22) |
Spores 11–13 µm wide; paraphyses sparsely septate, unbranched above |
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Spores 10–11 µm wide; paraphyses closely septate and often forked above |
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24(1) |
Ascospores with distinct polar apiculae |
25 |
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Ascospores lacking polar apiculae, but sometimes with warts more prominent at the poles |
26 |
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25(24) |
Spores 18–24 µm long; apiculae conical or finger-like; ornament of discrete warts 0.5–1.5 µm across |
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Spores 16–19 µm long; apiculae broad, obtuse; ornament fine, punctate |
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26(24) |
Disc blue, or blue with purple tints; spores 15–17 × 7–8 (–9) µm, with very fine punctate ornament; paraphyses straight, with deep purple-brown pigment at apex and scattered over whole length |
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Disc not blue; spore size and ornamentation various; paraphyses with or without pigment |
27 |
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27(26) |
Ascospore ornament a complete or broken reticulum |
28 |
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Ascospore ornament of warts or ridges, not forming a reticulate pattern |
30 |
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28(27) |
Ascospores 16–20 µm long (8–10 µm wide); ornament a broken reticulum of forked and anastomosing ridges; disc olivaceous when fresh; apothecia to 10 cm across, on damp soil or burnt ground |
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Ascospores 12–16 µm long; ornament complete or not, irregular; disc brown or green, apothecia 0.5–2 cm across, on soil or litter |
29 |
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29(28) |
Ascospores 12–14.5 × 6.5–8.5 µm; ornament an irregular network of blunt ridges; disc brown; apothecia on steam-sterilised soil |
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Ascospores 14–16 × 8–10 µm; ornament a fine, low irregular reticulum; disc green; apothecia soil or litter in hothouses (needs confirmation) |
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30(27) |
Apothecia on burnt substrates or plaster, less often on sand/mortar/brickwork, or on dunes |
31 |
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Apothecia on other substrates, soil, rotten wood & litter, or dung |
39 |
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31(30) |
On dunes or sandy soil; apothecia [2–6 (–10) cm across] purple or purple-brown, mostly with pseudostipe; spores [16–19 × 7–9 µm] with irregular warts to c. 1 µm wide, often slightly more pronounced at the poles; paraphyses apically clavate or sub-capitate, 5–8 µm wide |
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On burnt ground, plaster, mortar or brickwork; apothecia brown to fawn, mostly lacking pseudostipe; spores more finely ornamented; paraphyses apically narrowly clavate |
32 |
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32(31) |
Ascospores 15.5–18 µm long, lacking regular, distinct guttules; finely ornamented |
33 |
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Ascospores mostly 10.5–14 µm long, guttulate or not; finely or coarsely ornamented |
34 |
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33(32) |
Disc dark brown; ascospores with warts often vertically elongated at the poles; apothecia 2–8 cm across |
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Disc yellow-brown; ascospores with warts not elongated at the poles; apothecia 5–12 cm across |
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34(32) |
Ascospores with very fine, regular, isolated warts; apothecia violaceous or wine red |
35 |
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Ascospores coarsely ornamented or with fine, irregular often elongated markings; apothecia brown, whitish or greyish lilac |
36 |
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35(34) |
Apothecia on burnt substrates, violaceous; paraphyses mostly bent or hooked and irregularly thickened at the apex, and with dark brownish pigment (spores 11.5–13.5 × 6.5–7 µm) |
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Apothecia on plaster, wine red; paraphyses not markedly apically hooked or pigmented (spores 11–12.5 × 6–6.5 µm) |
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36(34) |
Ascospores narrowly ellipsoid, (10–) 11–13 × 5.5–6.5 µm, with irregular ornament; apothecia to 10 cm diam., greyish-lilac, receptacle paler |
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Ascospores broadly ellipsoid, 10.5–14 × 6–9 µm, coarsely ornamented; apothecia brown or whitish, 2–3 cm diam. or sparassoid |
37 |
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37(36) |
Ascospores ornamented with prominent, wing-like or pyramidal ridges and spines; apothecia dark brown, on burnt calcareous soil |
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Ascospores ornamented with isolated warts; apothecia whitish or with ochraceous to pinkish tints, on various burnt soils |
38 |
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38(37) |
Apothecia simple, cupulate |
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Apothecia large, sparassoid |
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39(30) |
Ascospores with very fine punctate ornament (oil immersion lens); apothecia on soil, dung or rotten wood |
40 |
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Ascospore ornament distinct, of isolated or sometimes confluent warts or short ridges; apothecia on soil, compost or rotten wood |
43 |
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40(39) |
On soil or rotten wood; apothecia lilac or violaceous to purple-brown; spores obscurely to distinctly guttulate; paraphyses with granular, brownish pigment |
41 |
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On dung; apothecia pale brown; spores eguttulate; paraphyses pigmented or not |
42 |
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41(40) |
On rotten wood; apothecia 2–5 cm diam., with dark violaceous or purplish-brown hymenium; spores obscurely guttulate or 1-guttulate (14–17 × 8–8.5 µm) |
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On soil; apothecia 1.5–2.5 cm diam., violaceous, fading to brownish with age; spores with 2 large guttules each 4–5 µm diam. (14–15 (–16) × 8–9 µm) |
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42(40) |
Paraphyses moniliform; spores 15.5–17.5 × 7.5–8.5 µm |
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Paraphyses simple; spores 13–15 (–16) × 6.5–8.5 µm |
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43(39) |
Ascospores eguttulate (spores 15–18 × 8–9 µm, ornamented with fine but distinct isolated or sometimes partly confluent warts) |
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Ascospores with 1 or 2 distinct guttules, or with irregular guttulation |
44 |
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44(43) |
Apothecia yielding a yellow or yellow-green latex when fresh; spores with 1 or 2 distinct guttules |
45 |
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Apothecia yielding a bluish latex or none; spores with 1 or 2 distinct guttules or with irregular guttulation |
47 |
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45(44) |
Ascospores ornamented with fine, often elongated, irregular warts less than 0.5 µm high (spores 15–17 × 8–9 µm; apothecia on soil); apothecia 2–5 cm across |
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Ascospores ornamented with coarse, irregular, isolated warts 1–2 µm high; apothecia 3–5 cm across |
46 |
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46(45) |
Ascospores 14–17.5 × 8.5–10 µm, with a single guttule; warts to c. 1 µm high |
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Ascospores 17–19 × 9–10 µm, with 2 guttules; warts to 2 µm high |
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47(44) |
Natrophilous; ascospores with irregular guttulation and fine, dense, rugulose-punctate ornament (spores 15–18 × 7–8.5 µm; apothecia 1–4 cm across) |
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Not natrophilous; ascospores with 1 or 2 guttules; ornament various |
48 |
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48(47) |
Apothecia on rotten wood or bark |
49 |
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Apothecia on soil or litter |
51 |
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49(48) |
Ascospores 17–24 × 8–9.5 µm, ornamented with isolated, rather regular warts 0.5–1 µm across; receptacle whitish or pale |
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Ascospores smaller, 14–16.5 µm long, ornamented with isolated, irregular, sometimes elongated warts mostly 1–2 µm across; receptacle not whitish |
50 |
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50(49) |
Ascospores 14.5–16.5 × 8.5–9.5 µm, ornamented with isolated, irregular warts commonly 1.5–2 µm across; paraphyses lacking obvious yellow pigment, disc yellow-brown, < 1 cm across |
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Ascospores 14–15 × 7–8 (–8.5) µm, ornamented with warts 0.5–2 µm across; paraphyses with yellow-brown pigment; disc to 6 cm diam., with purple-brown tints |
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51(48) |
Ascospores mostly less than 16.5 µm long |
52 |
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Ascospores mostly longer than 17 µm |
55 |
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52(51) |
Apothecia yielding a bluish latex, turning violaceous; ascospores narrowly ellipsoid, 7–8 µm diam. (13.5–15.5 µm long) |
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Apothecia without coloured latex; ascospores ellipsoid to broadly ellipsoid, 8–10.5 µm diam. |
53 |
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53(52) |
Ascospores 9–10.5 µm diam. (14–16.5 µm long), usually with a single guttule; paraphyses with yellow brown encrusting pigment (apothecia 1–2.5 cm across) |
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Ascospores 8–9 µm diam., with 1 or 2 guttules; paraphyses lacking yellow-brown encrusting pigment |
54 |
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54(53) |
Ascospores biguttulate, ellipsoid, to 16.5 µm long, ornamented with isolated regular warts 0.5–1 (–1.5) µm across; apothecia 1–2 cm across, on compost |
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Ascospores with a single guttule, broadly ellipsoid, to 15 µm long, ornamented with isolated or sometimes confluent or elongated warts mostly 1–2 µm across; apothecia to 5 cm across, on soil |
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55(51) |
Disc purple or violaceous, to c. 1.5 cm diam.; spores ellipsoid, 9–11 µm diam. (16–19 µm long), with isolated, mostly regular small warts c. 1–1.2 µm across. Paraphyses without granular pigment but in brownish matrix; on clay soil |
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Disc brown or if violaceous apothecia larger and spores longer |
56 |
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56(55) |
Disc lilac or pale violaceous; ascospores narrowly ellipsoid, 8–9 µm diam, with fine, regular, punctate ornament; paraphyses with brownish, granular pigment; apothecia on calcareous soil (spores 19.5–21 × 8–9.5 µm); apothecia to 7 cm across |
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Disc brown to dark brown, sometimes with purple tinge; ascospores narrowly ellipsoid or ellipsoid, ornament various; paraphyses with or without brown pigment; apothecia on various soils; apothecia 1–5 cm across |
57 |
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57(56) |
Ascospores commonly broader than 10 µm, with isolated, rounded, mostly regular warts which may be higher and more prominent at the poles; disc dark brown to red-brown |
58 |
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Ascospores mostly 8–10 µm diam., with isolated but sometimes rather irregular, angular or elongated warts, more prominent at the poles or not; disc olive-brown or vinaceous |
59 |
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58(57) |
Paraphyses with brown pigment; ascospores with warts higher and more prominent at the poles (spores 17–19 × 9–11 µm; apothecia to c. 3–4 cm across) |
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Paraphyses lacking brown pigment; ascospore warts not higher and more prominent at the poles (spores 17–21 × 10–12 µm; apothecia 1–3 cm across) |
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59(57) |
Ascospores with rather coarse irregular, angular, curved or elongated warts to c. 2 µm across; paraphyses lacking granular pigment; apothecia on wet ground; disc with olivaceous tints. (apothecia (2–) 3–5 cm across; spores 17.5–21.5 × 8.5–10 µm) |
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Ascospores with fine, regular or irregular to angular warts 0.5 (–1) µm across, often more prominent at the poles; paraphyses with distinct brown pigment; apothecia on damp but not wet soil; disc vinaceous, lacking olivaceous tints. (apothecia 1–3 (–5) cm across; spores 17.5–20 (-22) × 8.5–10 µm) |
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Peziza key
Classification: