Chlorociboria Aeruginascens

Day 343: In light of yesterday's post which was also about something suffixed with "chloro-," I should probably explain that it means green or greenish yellow, and although that doesn't accurately reflect the colour of Chlorociboria aeruginascens, it was (as they say), "Close enough for gov'mint work" as far as the taxonomists were concerned when they named this tiny fungus. My botany partner Joe posted a photo of it years ago, and when I said that I would "give my eye teeth to see it in real life," he collected a stick on which it was growing and delivered it to me some time later after the fungus had dried up and showed only as a faint blue discoloration. He described the conditions where it had been growing, and I did my best to provide them. That was in 2019. One winter passed with no sign of the fungus returning to life, but the following autumn, blue disks erupted on the underside of the stick where it was resting on the ground. I was careful to replace it exactly as before, and every year since then, the "Joe Stick" has reliably produced a crop of Chlorociboria after the first few soaking rains of the autumn season. I keep wondering when it will exhaust the supply of nutrients in its substrate, but for now, it's still going strong.

The Joe Stick

Day 354: Four years ago, my botany partner Joe posted a photo of a blue-green fungus he had found in the watershed where he worked. We identified it as Chlorociboria aeruginascens, and at the time, I remarked that it was something I'd always wanted to see in person. A few weeks later, he showed up on my doorstep with a stick which was lightly encrusted with a blue film. "It doesn't look like much now. I think it dried out after I collected it," he told me. Given the habitat he reported in the area where he found it, I selected a spot for it in my front flower bed which offered similar conditions. Summer came and went, and a few weeks after the autumn rains had returned, I checked on the "Joe Stick" and was pleased to see it had sprouted cute little aqua blue cups. It has fruited every year since then, although the flush of fungal growth seems to be diminishing with each cycle. Still, I'm happy to have kept it going this long as one of my oddest horticultural projects.

Chlorociboria Stick Report

Day 14: A month ago, I reported that the Joe Stick was developing a few scattered dots of Chlorociboria aeruginascens. Even though it was early in its season, I thought it looked a bit feeble, and I wondered if it had suffered from the hot spell we had in June. First of all, I'm surprised that I was able to provide it with proper habitat. Second, I have no idea what its life expectancy may be, although I'm sure it will eventually deplete the nutrient supply in the Stick. I don't check it often, not wanting to disturb its environment, but today I pulled it out from under the overhanging ferns, removed a decaying hosta leaf and got quite a surprise when I flipped it over. The fungus grows on the bottomside of the stick where it touches the ground. The full 18" length showed Chlorociboria discs, with this dense patch in the middle. Funny how we each have our own definition of "simple pleasures." Just give me a fungusy stick, and I'll be happy as Larry.

The Joe Stick

Day 355: Roughly two years ago, my botany partner Joe posted a photo of a turquoise-blue fungus which he'd found in the watershed where he works. I was almost at a loss for words. Chlorociboria had been on my Bucket List for years, and I figured I'd never observe it in real life. I said as much to Joe, and a few weeks later, he brought me a stick which seemed to have a slight aqua tinge on one side. I grilled him extensively about the microecology in which he'd found it, and determined that if I was going to talk it into fruiting (a possibility I considered rather remote), the best place would be nestled in under hostas and ferns in a north-side flower bed. I wasn't holding my breath, but when cooler weather settled in during late September 2020, I kept checking on it every few days to see if anything had developed. In early October, I detected the first sign of blue. The fungus developed nicely over the next few weeks and then disappeared. Now the burning question was whether or not it would fruit again in 2021. Here you see the evidence: a healthy population of Chlorociboria aeruginascens on the Joe Stick, demonstrating a colour which is not often found in nature.