Subject: C. gigantea mycorhizzal?

From: [email-masked] (JMiller592)
Date: 2 Nov 1995 10:04:59 -0500

Is Calvatia gigantea commonly known to be mycorhizzal with grasses?  

I was recently struck by the appearance of a bright green ring (1 meter
thick, 6.5 meters in diameter) of grass in an otherwise yellowing hay
meadow.  Calvatia gigantea was fruiting, fairy ring fashion, in the green
band.  The fungus was apparently providing something of use to the grass,
and I wondered if there was a mycorhizzal association.

JJ Miller
Charleston, WV

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From: [email-masked] (Sigvard Svensson)
Date: Fri, 03 Nov 1995 23:24:38 +0100

>and I wondered if there was a mycorhizzal association.

As far as I know they are saprotrophs and nitrophilous. The phenomena you
describe of much greener grass where the fruitbodies occur, commonly
referred to as a fairy ring, are usually considered an effect of the
myceliums decomposition of dead (grass) litter etc. This is rather well
described in the litterature and a good illustration of the phenomena
could be found in Ingold: "The biology of fungi", p.99. London 1961, ISBN
0 09 13 88 61 9. Unfortunately I do not have access to Aroras "Mushrooms
demystified", but considering all positive citations of it, I would be
surprised if he not mentions this phenomena also.

Regards
/Sigvard

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Sigvard Svensson
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E-mail: [email-masked]
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