Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Microfungi on dead sunflower stem (Helianthus annuus)

I decided to examine the dead stem of my sunflower which has been laying in my garden over winter. I thought it would amuse me for five minutes, but I ended up staring at it for well over an hour and trying to capture some good images. This was very tricky as they were all microfungi and some were at odd angles. The stem is very fragile and brittle, and still rooted in the soil, so I didn't pull it as it may have destroyed the stem, along with the specimens. I shall endeavour to identify them tomorrow, by going through Ellis & Ellis, and update the blog if I am successful, or if anyone knows what they are please let me know, as I would be grateful of the assistance, also I haven't had time to put them under the microscope today, but I shall try to view them tomorrow. All photos have been severely cropped, as all the specimens were so small.





















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