Cercophora sparganiicola (All Fungi)
Stroma: absent.
Ascomata: 450-600 µm diam, scattered or aggregated in small clusters, pyriform, almost superficial, the neck conical to elongated, to 300 µm in length, periphysate; membranous, rather thin-walled, dark brown, the neck darker with weakly developed vertical striations formed from differentially pigmented agglutinated hairs. Subiculum composed of a pale pinkish brown hyphal mat. Peridium composed of three layers; the outer layer of mid brown angular cells to 15 µm diam, often obscured by a superficial hyphal mat, merging into an inner layer of hyaline compressed tissue. Interascal tissue deliquesced in the material available. Asci 190-230 x 14-16 µm, narrowly cylindrical, the stalk long and tapering, thin-walled ta all stages, the apex rounded to truncate with a conspicuous J- apical ring 4-5 µm diam and ca 1 µm thick, 8-spored. Ascospores arranged bi- or triseriately, at first 68-74 x 6-8 µm, often slightly sigmoid or weakly geniculate near the base, hyaline, thin-walled, aseptate and with two polar tapering gelatinous appendages (rather degenerate in material available); eventually (often after leaving the ascus) becoming septate about at the upper third, the upper cell 23-33 x 11-14 µm, becoming ovoid-ellipsoidal to fusiform-ellipsoidal, the apex ± acute, dark brown, with a subapical germ pore.
Anamorph: unknown.
A species of Cercophora intermediate between C. culmigena (Sacc. & Speg.) Lundq. and C. oryzeti (Sacc.) Lundq. according to a note by Lundqvist accompanying the type collection, but no combination has formally been made.
In GB&I, on dead culms of Phragmites australis, Sparganium ramosum and the stem of an unidentified member of the Apiaceae.
England: Somerset, Worcestershire. Only known from the UK.