by James Wearn
Location: Fallen dead branch of Acer pseudoplatanus, Withymead Nature Reserve, near Goring, Oxfordshire, 27 July 2009
Collector: Dr J.A. Wearn
Identified by: Dr J.A. Wearn & Dr B. Aguirre-Hudson (Kew)
Voucher specimen: Herb. J.A. Wearn, Wearn F064 (duplicate to be deposited at Kew)
This is a particularly interesting record of a scarce fungus and is a first for Oxfordshire. I have trawled all the records and spoken to all the likely recorders for the region and have not discovered any previous records for Massaria inquinans in Oxfordshire (and I have checked synonyms too). It has small black fruit bodies on dead Acer wood so is overlooked by most people. It was certainly worth getting down on my hands and knees with my lens!