Carpenter, S.E. 1981: Monograph of Crocicreas (Ascomycetes, Helotiales, Leotiaceae). Memoirs of the New York Botanical Garden. 33.
Details
Taxonomic concepts
Associations
Descriptions
Crocicreas epitephrum is one of the most distinctive species in the genus Crocicreas. The extended margin, minute size of the ascocarp and hymenial elements, and its habit on leaf hairs of Bedfordia sp. are all features which distinguish this species from other taxa in Crocicreas. It is interesting to note here that I observed hyphae from the base of apothecia ramifying in the hollow leaf hairs, indicating that the source of nutrition for this fungus is leaf-hair protoplasm. Only three other species of Crocicreas occur on leaf hairs of dicotyledons: Crocicreas dryadis, C. espeletarum, and C. phaeoconium. Crocicreas dryadis occurs on leaf hairs of Dryas octopetala in Scandinavia and Great Britain, while C. phaeoconium grows on leaf hairs of Antennaria from eastern North America. These two species are closely related in the form of the ascocarp, their 3-septate, clavate ascospores, and relative size of the asci. Crocicreas espeletarlum is quite distinct as it has been found on leaves of Espeletia in the neotropics, and differs from all of the leaf-hair inhabiting species in that its margin is broken into long, triangular teeth. All of the leaf-hair inhabiting species have hyphae which ramify from the apothecial base into hollow hairs of the host substrate. Crocicreas epitephrum, although collected only twice, is quite distinctive and should be sought for in other areas of the southern hemisphere to determine its range of distribution.
The holotype collection of Peziza epitephra at Kew has no information on it and therefore I have cited it as a presumed holotype collection. The information provided on the packet that was sent to me was copied in handwriting other than that of Berkeley's.
Cited scientific names
- Belonioscypha Rehm 1892
- Crocicreas cyathoideum (Bull.) S.E. Carp. 1980 var. cyathoideum
- Crocicreas epitephrum (Berk.) S.E. Carp. 1980
- Crocicreas Fr. 1849
- Crocicreas multicuspidatum (Rodway) S.E. Carp. 1981
- Cyathicula clavata (Pers.) Karst. 1864
- Cyathicula De Not. 1864 [1863]
- Cyathicula dicksoniae G.W. Beaton & Weste 1977
- Cyathicula urniformis G.W. Beaton & Weste 1977
- Dicksonia
- Dicksonia antarctica
- Helotium lacteum Cooke 1879
- Hymenoscyphus pseudociliatus (W. Phillips) S.E. Carp. 1981
- Hymenoscyphus sordidus (Fuckel) W. Phillips 1887
- Phialea clavata (Pers.) Gillet
- Phialea sordida (Fuckel) Sacc.
- Poculum fuegianum (Speg.) S.E. Carp. 1981