Schizophyllum commune

A fungus that is, as its epithet implies, very common and found on all kinds of substrates, with shell- or fan-shaped basidiomes, sessile, stemless, 1 to 4 cm across; velvety whitish, greyish or brownish surface; with longitudinally split, folded pseudolamellae in the hymenium, whitish to greyish.

Cuticle with terminal elements formed by cylindrical hyphae grouped in fascicles, 2.5 to 5 µm in diameter, septate and clamped.

Cystidia and other sterile hymenial elements absent.

Basidia cylindrical to slightly clavate, 15 to 25 µm long, 4 to 6 µm wide, with basal clamp connections and four-spored.

Spores cylindrical to slightly allantoid (with one side flattened), smooth, hyaline, thin-walled, 6 to 8 µm long, 2.5 to 3.5 µm wide, with an eccentric apiculus at one end, and inamyloid in Melzer's reagent.

Herbarium material available: JTP2157/24.