Patellaria atrata

A very common lignicolous species frequently occurring in damp habitats such as riverbanks on decaying wood, with black, disc-shaped apothecia 1–2 mm in diameter, well-defined margins, gelatinous when fresh and becoming coriaceous upon drying.

Ectal excipulum composed of thick-walled angular cells heavily pigmented with brown; overlain by a medullary/subhymenial excipulum of hyaline hyphae in textura porrecta arranged more or less parallel.

Asci cylindrical to clavate, 8-spored, bitunicate, short-pedicellate, measuring 135–180 µm long by 15–20 µm wide, with biseriate to irregular spore arrangement, basal croziers, inamyloid in Melzer's reagent.

Paraphyses profusely branched especially in the upper half forming a dense epithecium, multiseptate, slender below (1–2 µm wide) and enlarged apically (3–5 µm wide).

Ascospores fusiform to clavate, distinctly tapered at one end, slightly allantoid, smooth, hyaline, thin-walled, multiseptate, measuring 35–49 µm long by 7.5–9.5 µm wide, without a gelatinous sheath, containing numerous large oil droplets inside.

Herbarium material available: JTP2066/24 and JTP2322/24.