INOPERCULATE DISCOMYCETES : ascus unitunicate and inoperculate. three orders: Helotiales; Phacidiales; Ostropales.

• Helotiales: ascocarp epigeous, an apothecium, not imbedded in host tissue; ascus inoperculate, unitunicate, and with an amyloid apical sphincter; families dermeataceae, helotiaceae, hyaloscyphaceae, geoglossaceae, sclerotiniaceae
  • Geoglossaceae. ascocarps are stipitate and either capitate, spathulate or club-shaped.

Geoglossum: "earth tongues"; quite common all over but particularly abundant in mossy humus of older woods in which redwood is present (eg. in Jedediah Smith State Park). The hymenium is located over the club-shape part of the apothecium.

Trichoglossumdiffers because of the dark setae located over the surface of the hymenium. These are specialized paraphyses and look like the cystidia of one of the Basidiomycetes. Can you think of a function for them.

Cudonia circinans. A common fungus in our spruce forests. Ascocarps are capitate and stipitate as in Leotia but the head is not gelatinous. See pg. 138 of the swiss ascomycete book; ascospores are hyalophragmospores			Leotia lubrica A very common fungus in the our tan-oak ecosystems during December and January
	Mitrula paludosa.. Tpically grows in twigs and woody debris in creeks.		Heyderia abietis. Very common on needles of Abies.

classification system (places icons into orders)

index to genera/species