Nidula Niveotomentosa

Day 160: "Nidula niveotomentosa!" It's fun to say and interesting to find. The Nidulariaceae (bird's-nest fungi) used to have a taxonomic niche all to themselves, but were reclassified recently and lumped with other Agaricaceae. Three species of Nidula are known in the Pacific Northwest, the most common being Nidula niveotomentosa and Nidula candida. For those of you who might be wondering, "nidula" is Latin for "little nest." "Niveo-" means "snow" and "-tomentosa" refers to the hairy outer surface (the "tomentum"). During their fruiting period, the cups hold lentil-shaped, spore-filled structures called peridioles (the eggs in the bird's-nest, if you will). In Nidula, these peridioles are contained in gelatinous material and are not attached to the cups themselves. During rainy weather, the peridioles float free from the cups and may be carried some distance from the parent "nest." In certain similar genera (Crucibulum, Cyathus), the peridioles are attached to the cup by a hair-like thread, keeping spore dispersal confined to a tighter area. In either case, the spore dispersal mechanism means that the species are often found in colonies.