Weird stuff

[Jeremiah Harris]

Hello,

This is growing in the pot of a friends C.follicularis anyone know what it might be?

thanks
-Jeremiah-

 

[shokuchuu]

It's a fungus, probably a Scutellinia species. It usually occurs on damp wood, and it looks like there's plenty of it in that soil.

 

[PlantAKiss]

That is very interesting.... kinda neat looking although you wouldn't want it in your pots.

 

[TheAlphaWolf]

I'd want it in my pots!...at least in my regular plant pots
I've found a couple of mushrooms and I intentionally tried to make them grow (yes yes I know, the spores, blah blah) and so far only one took hold... now every time it rains during the summer I get a couple of nice-looking mushrooms.
I wish they were edible though. now THAT would rock.

 

[Jeremiah Harris]

Hello.

Thanks for your help.

I know that looks like damp wood but that is just peat but very close up.

thanks
-Jeremiah-

 

[Finch]

HURPH all i get is damp-of

 

[JB_OrchidGuy]

I duno why fungus is considered a bad thing. Many plants benfit from a relationship with fungus. The fungus and roots og the plants intermingle and share nutrients. There is some species of orchids that no longer do photosynthesis to grow. They realy solely on their relationship with different funguses for their nutrients. Those orchids grow soley undergrownd withthe exception of the flowering period. I can think unless its negativly affecting the plants then let her be. Looks cool too. Oh and every orchid in the wild depends on fungus to grow from seed. The seeds do not have an endosperm for nutrients until it can photosynthesise on its own. So it uses fungus. Pine trees require a certain type of fungus to grow too. You will be surprise how many different plants depend on fungus. Have fun and again those to look like neat fungal fruits too.

 

[swords]

Wild! No idea what those are, look like tiny cornflakes with hair! Are they hard? Perhaps they are some sort of lichens taking hold on that damp wood? Is that damp wood with some sphagnum grown on it?

My N. hamata pot grew a surprise sundew (I don't have any) and then last fall some very tall skinny mushrooms started appearing periodically, haven't seen any since this spring. My highland chamber draws air from outside the house and behind me is still partially forest.

 

[TheAlphaWolf]

Quote[/b] ]They realy solely on their relationship with different funguses for their nutrients.

apparently fungi also give them glucose? if they don't photosynthesize, are they parasites on the fungus? What do they give back in return? You can't live solely on nutrients... you need carbohydrates.

 

[Est]

Quote[/b] ]I duno why fungus is considered a bad thing. Many plants benfit from a relationship with fungus.

Well, have you ever seen a "faerie ring"?? There's a mushroom, then it spreads out in a ciricle pattern, the old ones die off, so what you're left with is a dead inside of a circle and then a ring of mushrooms, then living grass and such on the outside. The mushrooms take the nutrients, killing what was there before. So, the fact is that while some mushrooms would play nice with your plants, others would not. I dunno, I think mushrooms are cool, especially now that I know a bit more about them, they really are interesting. And yummy.

Quote[/b] ]apparently fungi also give them glucose? if they don't photosynthesize, are they parasites on the fungus? What do they give back in return? You can't live solely on nutrients... you need carbohydrates.

95% of vascular plants have root symbiosis with fungi (mycorrhizae). One example where it's expecially noticeable is in legumes (peas, etc, etc on the roots you see nodules that have formed by a fungus. The fungi increase the root's surface area allowing the plant to get more nutrients and they get sustinence from the plant (because it gets shipped down to support the roots.) In the instance of legumes, there are further bacteria that reside within the nodules, they are nitrogen fixing bacteria that take nitrogen from the air and bind it to the soil, or sulphur releasing bacteria which make nutrients in the soil avaiable ("or aid in", rather, because plants do some of that on their own.) Oh, and by the way, a lot of the time you can buy seeds (or do so without even knowing it) that have been treated with bacteria so the nodules are sure to form. And there you have it.


As for the picture, I have no idea what kind of fungus that is, sorry.

--Edit: Just remembered the bit about the underground orchid- Rhizanthella gardneri grow completely underground, even the flower tip doesn't break the ground's surface. They live off of the decaying material of broom honey myrtle stumes and are linked to said stumps by a fungus. They were only dicovered because the flowers, while not appearing above ground, do make cracks in the ground. They're very interesting but VERY rare (at least this species sure is).

 

[TheAlphaWolf]

ok, but what about the underground orchid? How exactly does that work? is it a parasite on the fungus or does it have a mutualistic symbiotic relationship with it? if so then what does it give back if it can't photosynthesize?
regular plants photosynthesize and give glucose back to the fungus in exchange for nutrients, but obviously the orchid can't photosynthesize.

 

[Est]

Quote[/b] ]--Edit: Just remembered the bit about the underground orchid- Rhizanthella gardneri grow completely underground, even the flower tip doesn't break the ground's surface. They live off of the decaying material of broom honey myrtle stems and are linked to said stumps by a fungus. They were only dicovered because the flowers, while not appearing above ground, do make cracks in the ground. They're very interesting but VERY rare (at least this species sure is).

There's the answer for most of it... As for the fungus, there's nothing to be had from the Orchid. As I understand it, it just works as a bridge between the stems of the broom honey myrtle. I imagine that the fungus is doing it's thing decomposing the stem then the orchid shows up. I suppose I can't expain it too well because I don't know all the details, but then again it doesn't seem like anyone out there seems to know an awful lot about them! Shame, I'd love to learn more about it.

 

[shokuchuu]

Quote[/b] ]As for the picture, I have no idea what kind of fungus that is, sorry.

I already said it was a Scutellinia species.

As for the interaction between Rhizanthella gardneri and fungi; it may be commensal (+ 0) or exploitative (+ -). Not everything has to be mutualistic

Amori

 

[TheAlphaWolf]

I know it doesn't have to be mutualistic, that's why I asked if it was a parasite.
I don't see how it could be commensalism though. Surely the fungus could grow faster if the orchid wasn't stealing it's food! even if the fungus is getting it's food from the myrtle? is the relationship between the myrtle and the fungus mutualistic?
so the myrtle gives glucose to the fungus in exchange for nutrients, and then the orchid comes in and steals food/nutrients from the fungus.
basically just like Monotropa uniflora (I've seen wild Monotropa uniflora and Monotropa hypopithys

)
http://botit.botany.wisc.edu/toms_fungi/oct2002.html

pics of the orchid:
http://members.iinet.net.au/~emntee/Rhizanthella_gardnerii4.htm
http://members.iinet.net.au/~emntee/Rhizanthella_gardnerii5.htm
http://www.arkive.org/species....e=large

 

[shokuchuu]

Sorry, I didn't pay attention to where the conversation was at. Monotropa are wicked plants.