156 THE ESSEX NATURALIST
FUNGUS FORAY IN EPPING FOREST (894th Meeting)
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 17TH, 1948
After a dry period lasting from late in August until October 11th several
rainy days had thoroughly soaked the ground and gave promise of a good
yield of fungi for the meeting devoted each year to the study of these plants.
Members met at Loughton Garage at 11.15 a.m. and the Forest was
entered at Baldwin's Hill where the party, after having been instructed as to
the general direction which it was intended to take, spread out to search the
woodland for specimens. The morning was dull and mild and these con-
ditions lasted without rainfall throughout the day. Very suitable weather
for the purpose of the expedition ; though the trees which were now beginning
to put on their autumn garb of gold and brown would have looked the more
attractive for a touch of sunshine.
The party was gathered together by a large fallen Beech in Monk Wood
for the lunch-time halt and by then baskets were beginning to be laden with
the spoils of the hunt. After lunch members moved in scattered groups
through the Forest in the general direction of the Wake Valley ponds and
here another rendezvous was made before setting off again in "open order"
for High Beach. Interest was aroused by the finding of a considerable
number of young plants of Bracken which had obviously arisen from spores.
Considering the abundance of this species of fern those qualified to judge
pronounced it unusual for this means of reproduction to be encountered.
The plants were growing among dwarf mosses under a Beech tree and several
were found in which the prothallus still persisted. The first fronds were
strangely unlike the adult ones and in appearance resembled those of the
Maidenhair Fern which belongs to the same natural order. Nearby a dead
Beech bole was seen to be affected by what appeared to be a slime flux and
specimens were taken for further examination.
The party began to gather at the Duke of Wellington Inn about 3.30 and
the specimens were soon laid out and named by the experts present. Pro-
fessor G. T. Ingold and Dr. P. H. Gregory had very kindly attended to give
the Club the benefit of their expert advice and this was continually available
to members throughout the walk. Professor Ingold had to leave when High
Beach was reached, but Dr. Gregory was able to remain to tea and it was under
his guidance that the fungi were displayed, while Mr. Ross supervised the
exhibition of the Mycetozoa.
After tea Mr. Howard, who had been elected to the chair, expressed thanks
to the experts for their help and asked Dr. Gregory to make some comments
on the finds of the day. Dr. Gregory thanked the Club on behalf of Professor
Ingold and himself for giving them the opportunity of an enjoyable day in
Epping Forest. He then went on to say that, both here and in Hertfordshire,
the season appeared to be one of plenty in a comparatively small number of
species. He did not think that any of the species found that day would
prove to be new to the Epping Forest list. He had hoped to find Strobi-
lomyces strobilaceus, a species differing from Boletus in having the cap covered
with imbricate scales, as this had been turning up this year in various localities
after an absence of several years, but as his hope had not been realised he
suggested that members should keep a look-out for it. He also commented
on the absence today of Boletus edulis, Armillaria mellea, Fistulina hepatica
and Tricholoma personatum.
The final list for the day totalled 60 species of fungus including Polyporus
frondosus, which was added to the list at the 1947 Fungus Foray and the
microfungi Kuhneola albida, Melampsoridium betulinum and Colesporium
tussilaginis which were recorded by Mr. Waller. Nine species of Mycetozoa
were recorded.