A worldwide community photographing and learning about wildlife
Project Noah Nature School
Fabraea rhytismoides
Fruiting bodies of this ascomycete were irregular shallow discs with dark edges and pale fertile inner surface. Individual discs were difficult to discern without magnification-they appear as dark patches on leaves and at first glance look like pigmentation.
Pic3 ( sorry it's fuzzy) shows the slightly elevated discs.
Spotted on the leaves of the montane daisy, Leptinella filicula, at the side of a dirt road. The plants were part of a matted ground cover of several plants.Their hairy leaves form a rosette on short stalks with a single flower at the centre.
This fungus is said to be parasitic on the upper surface of the leaves of the montane daisy. They are reported to occur all year round in suitable conditions.
I never thought I'd see this but there it was ! Confirms my belief that it is worth taking shots of everything unusual in nature as it always turns out to be something interesting & new.
Order: Helotiales
Family Dermataceae
Reference: A field guide to Australian Fungi by Bruce Fuhrer Pg 316.
Spotted on Dec 23, 2020
Submitted on Dec 25, 2020
4 Comments
Yes Brian. Sheer luck!. I was looking at some ground cover plants that had small but pretty flowers when I noticed these, and they were not in the open either.
Yes Brian. Sheer luck!. I was looking at some ground cover plants that had small but pretty flowers when I noticed these, and they were not in the open either.
Interesting find, Leuba.
Nature the artist.