Typhula quisquiliaris

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***Typhula quisquiliaris***, commonly known as the **bracken club**, is a species of club fungus in the family Typhulaceae. It produces small, white fruit bodies up to Template:Convert in height, each with a single distinct "head" and "stem". The head is fertile, while the stem attaches to a sclerotium embedded in the substrate. The fruit bodies grow from dead wood, and strongly favours bracken, where the species feeds saprotrophically. Though *T. quisquiliaris* was described under a different name by James Sowerby in 1803, the specific name *quisquiliaris* was sanctioned in 1821 by Elias Magnus Fries, and the species was moved to the genus *Typhula*, which resulted in its currently accepted binomial name by Paul Christoph Hennings in 1896. The species has been recorded in Europe and north Africa.

## Taxonomy

*Typhula quisquiliaris* was first described by James Sowerby in 1803 as *Clavaria obtusa*. However, this name was found to be illegitimate, as it had already been given to a different species by Christiaan Hendrik Persoon in 1797. The species was given its sanctioned name several years later by Elias Magnus Fries, in his 1821 *Systema Mycologicum*. Fries named the species *Pistillaria quisquiliaris*, having previously (in 1818) named it *Clavaria quisquiliaris*. The specific name *quisquiliaris* is from the Latin meaning "pertaining to refuse". In the same year, Samuel Frederick Gray reclassified Sowerby's *Clavaria obtusa*, naming it *Geoglossum obtusum*. Fries's name was taken up as the valid one, however, and in 1896, Paul Christoph Hennings transferred the species to *Typhula*, giving the species the name by which it is known today. However, the name *Pistillaria quisquiliaris* was sometimes used into the 20th century. For instance, Carleton Rea used it in a 1922 publication. The species is commonly known as the bracken club.

## Description

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*Typhula quisquiliaris* produces fruit bodies in the form of clubs. Each fruit body consists of a single distinct "stem" and "head", and measures up to Template:Convert in height. The surface of the head is smooth and white, and measures Template:Convert by Template:Convert. The rounded stem is infertile, and of a similar colour to the head. However, it has a very fine downy covering, and is somewhat translucent. The stem measures from Template:Convert in width. The stem attaches to sclerotium which is buried into the branch from which the fruit body grows.

### Microscopic characteristics

*Typhula quisquiliaris* spores are narrowly ellipsoid, and measure from 9 to 14 by 4 to 5.5 micrometres (μm). The spores are white, and contain small granules. The spores are borne on basidia which measure 50 to 70 by 7 to 8 μm, with four spores on each basidium. The downy covering of the stem is made up of thick-walled hairs, each measuring 15 to 60 by 3 to 7 μm, though they are often swollen towards the base. The sclerotium measures from 1.5 to 3 by 0.5 μm, and is a pale yellow colour. Clamp connections are present in the hyphae.

## Habitat and distribution

*Typhula quisquiliaris* fruit bodies are typically found in rows, growing from plant detritus. The species favours bracken, especially *Pteridium aquilinum*, but the colonisation of dead matter from other plants is not unknown. Upon these substrates, it feeds as a saprotroph, breaking down the dead organic matter in order to sustain itself.Template:Citation needed The species has been recorded in Europe and northern Africa.Template:Citation needed In Europe, the fruit bodies can be encountered from April to December.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `Mycobank`
2. ↑ *Clavaria obtusa* Pers. 1797. MycoBank. International Mycological Association. Retrieved on August 2, 2011.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Template:Cite book
4. ↑ Template:Cite book
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 Template:Cite book
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 Template:Cite book

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