Sarcosphaera coronaria

A vernal species typical of montane conifers, with spherical apothecia splitting in a star-like or crown-like shape, 4 to 12 cm across, interior purple to brownish violet, exterior whitish to greyish brown, with very brittle white flesh.

Medullary excipulum and ectal excipulum of similar morphology, formed by hyphae of textura globulosa-angularis, hyaline, thin-walled (only 1 µm thick), 20 to 80 µm in diameter, giving rise on the outer part to more elongated, filiform hyphoid terminal hairs.

Asci cylindrical, operculate, eight-spored, 300 to 360 µm long, 10 to 14 µm wide, with uniseriate spore arrangement inside the ascus, and an amyloid apex in Melzer's reagent.

Paraphyses filiform, septate, branched from the base, 5 to 6 µm wide, with apical enlargements up to 7 or 8 µm, containing abundant granular matter inside, extending very little or not at all above the asci.

Ascospores subcylindrical to ellipsoidal, smooth, hyaline, moderately thick-walled, 14.5 to 17 µm long, 7.5 to 8.5 µm wide, generally containing two large oil droplets inside, situated at opposite poles.

Herbarium material available: JTP2090/24.