A new paper on the evolution of the genus Ptilotus in arid Australia was published by Tim Hammer, who is currently working as a post-doc at the State Herbarium of South Australia and The University of Adelaide with Chief Botanist, Prof. Michelle Waycott.

T.A. Hammer, M.Renton, L. Mucina & K.R. Thiele. Arid Australia as a source of plant diversity: the origin and climatic evolution of Ptilotus (Amaranthaceae). Australian Systematic Botany 34: 570-586.

Ptilotus rotundifolius, Murchison region, WA. Photo: T.A. Hammer.

The authors tested the chronological and geographic origins of the mostly arid Australian genus Ptilotus (Amaranthaceae) and its close relatives (i.e. the ‘aervoids’) by reconstructing a dated phylogeny with near comprehensive sampling for Ptilotus and estimating ancestral geographic ranges. Their analyses support the hypothesis that a pre-adaptation to aridity and early arrival in an aridifying Australia were integral to the success of Ptilotus, and that the Eremaean zone has been a source of biodiversity in the genus and for independent radiations into neighbouring climatic zones.

Tim now works on Hibbertia (Dilleniaceae), one of the most species-rich genera in Australia, in collaboration with State Herbarium Honorary Research Associate Hellmut Toelken and colleagues from South Australia and interstate.

During the last week, two papers were published by State Herbarium of South Australia‘s mycologist, Dr Teresa Lebel, and co-authors in the online version of the journal Mycologia:

Agaricus xanthodermus, p = pileus; s = stipe; a = annulus. Photo: A.-G. Boxshall.

(1) A.-G. Boxshall, J.L. Birch, T. Lebel, M.R.E. Symonds & D.L. Callahan (2021). A field-based investigation of simple phenol variation in Australian Agaricus xanthodermus. Mycologia (Publisher’s website).

Agaricus xanthodermus (yellow stainer) and other species of the yellow-staining Agaricus sect. Xanthodermatei are responsible for mushroom-related poisoning cases that require treatment. However, longstanding anecdotal evidence indicates that this species appears to exhibit considerable variation in toxicity, resulting in gastrointestinal irritation of varying severity in most cases. During her MSc research, the first author quantified the amount of phenol, hydroquinone and catechol in mushrooms and investigated their levels in different fungal structures, different developmental stages and on different nutritional substrates.

(2) J.I. de la Fuente, J.P. Pinzón, L. Guzmán-Dávalos, M.O. Uitzil-Colli, D. Gohar, T. Lebel, M. Bahram & J. García-Jiménez (2021). Revision of the genus Restingomyces, including two new species from Mexico. Mycologia (Publisher’s website).

The paper is the result of a long-standing collaboration to document the truffle diversity in American tropical regions. After a series of field surveys in southeastern Mexico, two new species in the phalloid genus Restingomyces (Trappeaceae, Phallales) were discovered. The authors describe them based on morphology and phylogenetic analyses of molecular data. Restingomyces guzmanianus and R. yaaxtax occur in medium-statured tropical dry forests. The original diagnosis of the genus Restingomyces is emended to include these novel species.

The new South American truffle Restingomyces guzmanianus, A = truffle cut in half, B = outside. Photo: J.I. de la Fuente et al.

Visit our colleagues from the South Australian Seed Conservation Centre for this year’s Orchid Conservation Open Day at Adelaide Botanic Gardens.

Where: Adelaide Botanic Gardens, Kitchen Garden behind the Goodman Building.

When: Friday, 27 Aug. 2021, 10am to 2pm.

The State Herbarium of South Australia published one short communication in Vol. 35 of its journal Swainsona online, today, 18 Aug. 2021.

xPhelodia tutelata. Illustration by F.J. Bradley, first published in Rogers (1906).

J. Kellermann & A. Monro, ×Phelodia, a new nothogenus in Australia Orchidaceae. (0.1mb PDF)

The recently published ×Glossadenia tutelata is a hybrid between the well-known orchids Glossodia major and Caladenia deformis. However, the latter species has now been transferred to another genus, Pheladenia. As the International Code of Nomenclature (ICN) prescribes that the names of hybrid genera consist of parts of the names of the parent genera, the hybrid genus ×Glossadenia needs to change its name, when the Caladenia deformis is accepted as Pheladenia deformis. The authors publish the new hybrid genus xPhelodia and the hybrid species xPhelodia tutelata to satisfy the requirements of the ICN.

To access content of all volumes of Swainsona and the Journal of the Adelaide Botanic Gardens since Vol. 1 (1976), please visit the journal’s web-site at flora.sa.gov.au/swainsona or the Swainsona back-up site.

Lactifluus clarkeae, illustrated by Cleland (1934).

During the last week, two papers were published by State Herbarium of South Australia‘s mycologist, Dr Teresa Lebel, and co-authors:

(1) T. Lebel, J. Douch, L. Tegart, L. Vaughan, J.A. Cooper, J. Nuytinck (2021). Untangling the Lactifluus clarkeae – Lf. flocktoniae (Russulaceae) species complex in Australasia. Persoonia 47: 1-44.

The Lactifluus clarkeae complex is a commonly observed, generally brightly coloured, group of mushrooms that are usually associated with Nothofagus or myrtaceous hosts in Australia and New Zealand. For this study collections labelled as ‘Lactarius clarkeae’, ‘Russula flocktoniae’ and ‘Lactarius subclarkeae’ were examined. Analyses of molecular data showed a high cryptic diversity, with sequences scattered across 11 clades in three subgenera within Lactifluus, and a single collection in Russula. Untangling this complex will enable better identification of species and increase understanding of diversity and specific habitat associations of macrofungi.

(2) N. Davoodian, T. Lebel, M.A. Castellano, K. Hosaka (2021). Hysterangiales revisited: expanded phylogeny reveals new genera and two new suborders. FUSE 8: 65-80.

Hysterangiales (Phallomycetidae, Agaricomycetes, Basidiomycota) is a diverse, nearly cosmopolitan order of predominantly hypogeous, sequestrate, ectomycorrhizal fungi. The authors recovered 26 provisional novel genera, and corroborated existing genera and families. Two new suborders (Phallogastrineae and Hysterangineae) and a new family (Phallogastraceae) are described, and three new combinations made to the genus Phallogaster.

Three examples of the newly described fungi family Phallogastraceae. Images published in Davoodian et al (2021).