Maryland Biodiversity Project - Common Earth Tongue (Geoglossum difforme)

Common Earth Tongue Geoglossum difforme Fries

Kingdom Fungi > Phylum Ascomycota > Class Geoglossomycetes > Order Geoglossales > Family Geoglossaceae > Genus Geoglossum Common Earth Tongue - Geoglossum difforme - https://www.marylandbiodiversity.com/view/19715

Status:

Found scattered, in groups on rotting wood, on ground, or on moss in deciduous or conifer woods.

Description:

Spore examination is necessary to identify any black earth tongues to species. Fruiting body: Viscid, gelatinous when wet. Head: Spoon or lance-shaped, compressed at center to irregularly folded; initially dull becoming smooth and shiny in age, often with longitudinal groove; not sharply differentiated from stalk; flesh brown, tough. Stalk: Smooth, slightly roughened or smooth. G. glutinosum (not yet verified at Maryland Biodiversity Project) is almost identical, but has shorter spores. (J. Solem, pers. comm.) See also Trichoglossum. Use Geoglossum sp. page if identification isn't verified by spore examination.

Records:

There are 9 records in the project database.

Links:

View taxon at MycoBank

View taxon at iNaturalist

View taxon at NatureServe

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Seasonality:

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Common Earth Tongue (fruiting body removed from substrate) in Howard Co., Maryland (10/14/2018). Verified via spore examination. (Photo ID: 130511 - Psn: 20)

Common Earth Tongue (fruiting body removed from substrate) in Howard Co., Maryland (10/14/2018). Verified via spore examination. Photo by Joanne Solem. (MBP list)

Common Earth Tongue (viscid fruiting body) in Howard Co., Maryland (10/14/2018). Verified by spore examination. (Photo ID: 130512 - Psn: 24)

Common Earth Tongue (viscid fruiting body) in Howard Co., Maryland (10/14/2018). Verified by spore examination. Photo by Joanne Solem. (MBP list)

Common Earth Tongue in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland (9/20/2018). Determined by Jo and Bob Solem via spore analysis. (Photo ID: 125166 - Psn: 40)

Common Earth Tongue in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland (9/20/2018). Determined by Jo and Bob Solem via spore analysis. Photo by Anne Looker. (MBP list)

Common Earth Tongue in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland (9/20/2018). Determined by Jo and Bob Solem via spore analysis. (Photo ID: 125167 - Psn: 41)

Common Earth Tongue in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland (9/20/2018). Determined by Jo and Bob Solem via spore analysis. Photo by Anne Looker. (MBP list)

Common Earth Tongue in Howard Co., Maryland (Date obscured). (c) Joanne and Robert Solem, some rights reserved (<a rel='license' href='http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/'>CC BY-NC</a>). (Photo ID: 351013 - Psn: 50)

Common Earth Tongue in Howard Co., Maryland (Date obscured). (c) Joanne and Robert Solem, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by Joanne Solem. (MBP list)

Spores of Common Earth Tongue in Howard Co., Maryland (Date obscured). (c) Joanne and Robert Solem, some rights reserved (<a rel='license' href='http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/'>CC BY-NC</a>). (Photo ID: 351015 - Psn: 105)

Spores of Common Earth Tongue in Howard Co., Maryland (Date obscured). (c) Joanne and Robert Solem, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by Joanne Solem. (MBP list)

Spores from fruiting body of Common Earth Tongue collected in Howard Co., Maryland (10/14/2018). 15-septa, smooth, brown. Measured 101-122 x 5.6-6.3 microns. Photo by Robert Solem. (MBP list)

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