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Poronia punctataPhoto: ABFG libraryBack to the BAP list |
DescriptionGeneral: Small, whitish, flattened disc covered with darker pin-head dots; on long stem; in clusters on wild pony dung, the animals feeding on rough grass and heath.Dimensions: 0.5-1.5cm dia. Fruit Body: Stroma pallid greyish-white attached to a black elongated stem running down into the substrate; perithecia black, sub-spherical with distinct papilla, rough, each with a single apical osteole; flesh pallid and tough. Asci: Elongated-cylindrical, 160-180 x 15-18 |
Spores: (8) Blackish-brown, smooth, bean-shaped, 1-septate, uniseriate, 18-26 x 7-12 µm. Odour: Not Distinctive. Taste: Not Distinctive. Chemical Tests: Asci tips not blued with Melzer's Reagent. Occurrence: Late Summer to Autumn. |
| Qualifying criterion: 4.4: rare species with very precise requirements for dispersal |
| Justification: passage of spores essential through gut of ponies fed on rough grass or heath without chemical application |
| Threats: cessation of grazing rough grassland and heath by ponies with largely natural diet, coupled with increased use of veterinary products |
| Action Required: Survey and monitoring; protection against a specific habitat loss and degradation; site management including reinstating traditional pony grazing. |
Statistics:UK (excluding NI & CI) fungus records to update VC entries |
Total records: 285 |
| Earliest recording: 1791 | |
| Latest recording: 2006 | |
| Vice Counties and (frequency): 3(1); 6(5); 9(2); 11(159); 12(2); 14(2); 15(2); 17(4); 22(2); 23(2); 25(1); 27(8); 28(2); 32(2); 34(3); 36(2); 37(1); 41(4); 36(2); 37(1); 41(4); 48(3); 55(4); 61(2); 62(5); 63(5); 65(2); 77(1) | |
| Pre-1960: 87 records | |
| NBN Gateway grid map | Post-1960: 198 records |