*SHOW British Mushrooms and Toadstools - Character List. 20th April 
2007. 
 
*CHARACTER LIST 
 
#1. <common names of family members>/
 
#2. <nomenclature>/
 
#3. anamorphic forms <Fungi Imperfecti, whether represented in the
          family>/
       1. occurring <in the family>/
       2. not known <in the family <implicit>>/
 
#4. the fruit-bodies <type, asco- or basidiomycete>/
       1. producing asci and ascospores <ascomycete>/
       2. producing basidia and basidiospores <basidiomycete>/
       3. producing deciduous propagules, each comprising a tetrad of
          cells with thick walls, this developing from the probasidium
          and circumventing development of basidium and basidiospores
          <rare aberrant basidiomycete>/
       4. not developing asci, probasidia or basidia <thalloid
          anamorph or zygomycete>/
 
#5. the fruit-bodies <persistence>/
       1. ephemeral <relatively soft and soon putrescent>/
       2. persistent <and relatively tough>/
 
#6. the fruit-bodies <simple or compound>/
       1. simple/
       2. compound/
 
#7. the <mature> fruit-bodies <general form - ascoma or basidioma <for keys 
          only>>/
       1. comprising a stipitate pileus, with gills beneath/
       2. with stipe and cap or head, but without gills/
       3. cup-shaped or funnel-shaped, without gills <stipitate or not>/
       4. bracket-shaped <attached laterally, usually with hymenium
          underneath>/
       5. appressed to the substrate <resupinate, encrusting, discoid,
          cushion shaped, or contorted-folded and brain-like>/
       6. unbranched and more or less clavate, spathulate, linear or
          vermicular/
       7. branched with elongate branches <these linear, more or less
          clavate, vermicular, or flattened; sometimes coralloid>/
       8. globose, tuberous, pustulate, pear-shaped or star-shaped/
 
#8. the fruit-bodies <of Ascomycota, form>/
       1. flat-irregular <including effuse>/
       2. discoid/
       3. cupulate/
       4. funnel-shaped/
       5. cushion-shaped <pulvinate>/
       6. pear-shaped/
       7. tuberous/
       8. globose/
       9. erect-elongate, unbranched/
       10. erect-branching/
 
#9. the <erect-elongate> fruit-bodies <of Ascomycota, shape>/
       1. linear/
       2. ligulate/
       3. clavate/
       4. capitate/
 
#10. the fruit-bodies <solitary or clustered>/
       1. <commonly> clustered/
       2. <mostly> solitary/
 
#11. the fruit-bodies <whether stipitate: mainly applied to Ascomycota>/
       1. stipitate/
       2. sessile/
 
#12. the fruit-bodies <of Ascomycota, whether coalescing>/
       1. discrete/
       2. coalescing/
 
#13. the fruit-bodies <whether sparassidioid>/
       1. sparassidioid (more or less globose, 25-35 cm across and
          multiply rosetted with pale yellowish tan, flattened and lobed
          branches) <\i{}Sparassis\i0{}>/
       2. not sparassidioid (q.v.)/
 
#14. the fruit-bodies <whether maturing spores are enclosed or exposed
          to the air>/
       1. angiocarpic <the spores maturing while enclosed within the
          fruit-body: gasteromycetes>/
       2. gymnocarpic <the spores maturing while exposed to the air
          <implicit>>/
 
#15. the <mature> fruit-bodies <basidioma of Basidiomycota, form>/
       1. differentiated into a <more or less distinct> stipe and pileus
          with the hymenium <spore-bearing surface> underneath the
          latter/
       2. discoid, cup- or funnel-shaped with the hymenium on top
          <sessile to slightly stipitate>/
       3. attached laterally and bracket-shaped <usually with the
          hymenium underneath, somewhat stipitate or not>/
       4. fan-shaped <flabellate>/
       5. more or less prostrate and cushion-shaped or contorted-folded
          and brain-like with the hymenium external/
       6. flattened and more or less appressed to the substrate or
          encrusting, with the hymenium on the outside <resupinate; usually
          crustaceous or leathery>/
       7. a globose or tuberiform gasterocarp <the spores maturing
          internally>/
       8. comprising a 1-2 cm. diameter head with a small, terminal
          pore, borne at ground level, atop a long, fibrillose,
          subterranean stipe <i.e., a small puff-ball on an underground
          stalk: Tulostomataceae>/
       9. finally emerging from an egg (the volva) in the form of a
          stout, clavate structure bearing the mature spores on its
          slimy, strongly foetid, swollen apex (e.g., \i{}Phallus\i0{}
          spp.), as a foetid, spherical, lattice (e.g.,
          \i{}Ileodictyon\i0{}), or as a foetid bunch of separate
          tongues (e.g., \i{}Clathrus\i0{})/
       10. star-like in appearance, with a central puff-ball surrounded
          by arms representing symmetrical splitting and outward peeling
          off of its outer coat/
       11. maturing to form a tiny cup, with a cover of velvety tissue
          which disintegrates to reveal a nest full of little,
          spring-loaded eggs, the latter being dispersed full of
          spores <Nidulariaceae>/
       12. erect-linear and unbranched <with all but the base covered
          with hymenium>/
       13. erect-clavate and unbranched <with all but the base covered
          with hymenium>/
       14. spathulate/
       15. branched <or dendroid, often coralloid, often with all but
          the base covered with hymenium>/
       16. pustulate <coalescing or not>/
 
#16. the <mature> fruit-bodies <size of ascoma or basidioma, in the
          largest dimension>/
       1. tiny <less than 5 mm>/
       2. small <5mm to 2.5 cm>/
       3. medium sized <2.5-6 cm>/
       4. large <6-15 cm>/
       5. very large <more than 15 cm>/
 
#17. the fruit-bodies <width or diameter>/
       cm across/
 
#18. the fruit-bodies <height>/
       cm high/
 
#19. the mature pileus <cap, concave or convex>/
       1. convex/
       2. parasol-shaped/
       3. more or less flat or somewhat depressed/
       4. concave/
 
#20. the fruit-bodies <whether gelatinous when wet>/
       1. gelatinous and somewhat translucent when moist <but tough and
          rubbery or bone-hard when dry: mostly Tremellales>/
       2. not noticeably gelatinous <and remaining opaque> when moist
          <implicit>/
 
#21. the fruit-bodies <fresh and mature, whether brightly coloured
          externally>/
       1. brightly pigmented <externally, at least in part>/
       2. not brightly pigmented <externally; i.e., whitish, buff,
          brown, grey, fuscous, etc. <implicit>>/
 
#22. the fruit-bodies <external colour>/
       1. white or whitish/
       2. cream or yellowish/
       3. buff/
       4. straw-coloured/
       5. honey-coloured/
       6. yellowish-brown <ochre>/
       7. light brown/
       8. reddish-brown/
       9. purplish brown/
       10. dark brown/
       11. olive/
       12. orange/
       13. yellow/
       14. green/
       15. blue/
       16. lilac/
       17. pink/
       18. purple/
       19. red/
       20. grey/
       21. blackish/
 
#23. mature flesh <of fruit bodies, colour> when fresh/
 
#24. the fruit-bodies <whether flesh resembles red meat>/
       1. characterized by flesh textured and coloured like fresh
          beefsteak <\i{}Fistulina\i0{}>/
       2. with flesh not beef-steak like (i.e., unlike that of
          \i{}Fistulina\i0{}) <implicit>/
 
#25. the top of the pileus <whether patterned>/
       1. conspicuously patterned with scales/
       2. not patterned with scales <and more or less concolorous>/
 
#26. the top of the pileus <colour(s)>/
       1. white or whitish/
       2. cream or yellowish/
       3. buff/
       4. straw-coloured/
       5. honey-coloured/
       6. yellowish-brown <ochre>/
       7. light brown/
       8. reddish-brown/
       9. purplish brown/
       10. dark brown/
       11. olive/
       12. orange/
       13. yellow/
       14. green/
       15. blue/
       16. lilac/
       17. pink/
       18. purple/
       19. red/
       20. grey/
       21. blackish/
 
#27. the upper <non-hymenial> surface <of polypores etc., colour>/
       1. white or whitish/
       2. cream or yellowish/
       3. buff/
       4. straw-coloured/
       5. honey-coloured/
       6. yellowish-brown <ochre>/
       7. reddish-brown/
       8. light brown/
       9. dark brown/
       10. orange/
       11. olive/
       12. yellow/
       13. green/
       14. blue/
       15. lilac/
       16. pink/
       17. purple/
       18. red/
       19. grey/
       20. blackish/
       21. purplish brown/
 
#28. the fruit-bodies <whether laticiferous>/
       1. yielding <watery, white, or coloured> latex when cut/
       2. not laticiferous <implicit>/
 
#29. the fruit-bodies <whether showing marked colour change when cut or
          bruised>/
       1. reacting rapidly with a marked colour change when cut or
          bruised/
       2. showing no conspicuous colour reaction to cutting or bruising
          <implicit>/
 
#30. the damaged flesh <colour in reaction to damage>/
       1. turning brownish/
       2. turning red/
       3. yellowing/
       4. greening/
       5. turning blue/
       6. turning blackish-blue/
       7. blackening/
 
#31. the hymenium <whether auto-digesting>/
       1. undergoing auto-digestion at maturity, with conspicuous
          liquefaction and darkening/
       2. not auto-digesting <implicit>/
 
#32. the fruit-bodies <characteristic odour>/
       1. stinking foetid-foecal when mature/
       2. cocoa-scented/
       3. garlic-scented/
       4. smelling of aniseed/
       5. with a mealy smell, with or without rancid overtones/
       6. with an earthy, spermatic smell/
       7. smelling of radish/
       8. with a faintly sweetish or pleasant aroma/
       9. smelling of cucumber/
       10. with a goat-like aroma/
       11. smelling of curry-powder/
       12. coumarin-scented <like new-mown hay>/
       13. with no particular odour other than an ordinary fungoid one
          <unreliably implicit>/
 
#33. the <mature> fruit-bodies <ascoma of Ascomycota: apothecial or
          cleistothecial>/
       1. apothecial <cup-like, saucer-like, or everted-club-shaped, the
          hymenium and asci exposed>/
       2. perithecial <with the hymenia and asci enclosed in sub-globose
          or flask-like perithecia, the latter releasing ascospores
          through a terminal pore>/
       3. cleistothecial <closed, enclosing the hymenium and asci, with
          no pre-determined opening>/
 
#34. the fruit-bodies <ascoma of Ascomycota, general type according to
          location of the asci. See Notes>/
       1. producing asci and spores on an exposed hymenium <e.g.,
          discomycetes and derivatives>/
       2. comprising a perithecioid structure enclosing asci and spores
          (and paraphyses), with no stroma/
       3. comprising a pre-formed stroma bearing perithecia in which
          asci, spores and paraphyses develop <Pyrenomycetes>/
       4. tuberous or globose and subterranean, the asci and spores
          produced from an enclosed hymenium <e.g., truffles>/
 
#35. the ascus-bearing hymenial layer <of apothecial and perithecial
          ascomata, form>/
       1. cupular/
       2. more or less flat <or effuse>/
       3. everted/
 
#36. the stromata <of the Pyrenomycete fruit bodies, form>/
 
#37. the fruit-bodies <ascoma, whether with carotenoid pigments>/
       1. brightly pigmented with carotenoids/
       2. without carotenoid pigmentation/
 
#38. stromata <of Ascomycota, presence>/
       1. present/
       2. absent/
 
#39. the asci <of Ascomycota: shape>/
 
#40. asci <operculate or not>/
       1. operculate/
       2. inoperculate/
 
#41. the asci <presence of apical thickening>/
       1. with more or less conspicuous apical thickening/
       2. without obvious apical thickening/
 
#42. the asci <wall thickness, persistence>/
       1. more or less thick walled/
       2. thin walled/
 
#43. the walls of the asci <iodine staining, exclusive of an apical J+
          ring>/
       1. staining blue with iodine/
       2. not staining blue with iodine/
 
#44. the ascospores <comments>/
 
#45. the ascospores <shape>/
       1. globose/
       2. ellipsoid/
       3. elongate/
       4. filiform/
 
#46. the ascospores <smooth or ornamented>/
       1. smooth/
       2. ornamented/
 
#47. the ascospores <colour>/
       1. hyaline <colourless>/
       2. white/
       3. cream <yellowish>/
       4. yellow/
       5. pink/
       6. yellow-brown/
       7. olive <yellowish brown to yellowish green>/
       8. rusty brown/
       9. brown/
       10. fuscous/
       11. brown-black/
       12. blue-black/
 
#48. the ascospores <septate or not>/
       1. septate/
       2. simple <non-septae>/
 
#49. the ascospores <number of nuclei>/
       1. uninucleate/
       2. tetranucleate/
       3. multinucleate/
 
#50. the ascospores <whether appendaged>/
       1. appendaged/
       2. without appendages/
 
#51. the ascospores <with or without gelatinous sheath>/
       1. with a mucilaginous sheath/
       2. without a mucilaginous sheath/
 
#52. the gasterocarp <presence of columella>/
       1. with a columella/
       2. without a columella/
 
#53. capilliteum <in gasteromycetes, presence>/
       1. present/
       2. absent/
 
#54. gleba <colour> at first/
       1. pale/
       2. dark/
 
#55. gleba <whether mucilaginous>/
       1. becoming mucilaginous and foetid/
       2. not becoming mucilaginous, not foetid <implicit>/
 
#56. the peridium <whether dehiscing>/
       1. dehiscent/
       2. not dehiscent/
 
#57. the <dehiscent> peridium <manner of dehiscence>/
       1. opening via an apical pore/
       2. opening irregularly/
       3. splitting radially to form stellate rays/
 
#58. the pileipellis <whether epithelial>/
       1. forming a continuous <true> epithelium/
       2. not forming continuous epithelium/
 
#59. the stipe <where applicable to Basidiomycota, presence of ring
          and/or volva>/
       1. bearing a ring but no volva/
       2. with a volva but no ring/
       3. with both ring and volva/
       4. with neither ring nor volva/
 
#60. the stipe <whether scaly>/
       1. scaly/
       2. without scales/
 
#61. the stipe <whether developing cavities>/
       1. developing cavities at maturity/
       2. not developing cavities <implicit>/
 
#62. the hymenium <of Basidiomycota, whether smooth or with pores, pegs,
          gills or ribs>/
       1. borne on gills/
       2. ribbed/
       3. porose/
       4. with pegs or spinose <or teeth: to be separated>/
       5. smooth <i.e., not associated with gills, pores or pegs>/
       6. irregularly folded, ridged or wrinkled/
 
#63. the gills <whether suggestive of representing modified pores or
          cupules>/
       1. atypical, rather obviously representing laterally flattened
          and radially elongated pores or cupules/
       2. conventional, not obviously suggestive of modified pores or
          cupules/
 
#64. the edges of the gills <whether split>/
       1. split longitudinally (each split half-revolute in dry
          conditions) <\i{}Schizophyllum\i0{}>/
       2. not split longitudinally <implicit>/
 
#65. the hymenial layer <whether readily separable from the supporting
          body>/
       1. readily separable from the supporting flesh/
       2. not readily separable from the supporting flesh/
 
#66. the hymenium <whether thickening>/
       1. thickening/
       2. not thickening/
 
#67. the hymenophore <hymenial-bearing component of the basidioma,
          insertion>/
       1. free/
       2. adnexed/
       3. adnate/
       4. sinuate/
       5. decurrent/
 
#68. the hymenophoral trama <whether bilateral>/
       1. bilateral <the lateral strata divergent or convergent>/
       2. not bilateral <regular to irregular>/
 
#69. cystidia <any form, presence>/
       1. present/
       2. absent/
 
#70. <forms of cystidia represented>/
       1. leptocystidia/
       2. gloeocystidia/
       3. chrysocystidia/
       4. skeletocystidia/
       5. lamprocystidia/
       6. hyphocystidia/
       7. lyocystidia/
 
#71. hyphidia represented by <forms>/
       1. dendrohyphidia/
       2. dichohyphidia/
       3. acanthohyphidia/
 
#72. the basidia <whether split split or septate>/
       1. modified <the metabasidium conspicuously split, furcate, or
          septate by primary septa: Tremellomycetidae>/
       2. unmodified <homobasideous - the metabasidium neither split
          nor septate by primary septa, though sometimes secondarily
          septate: Agaricomycetidae <implicit>>/
 
#73. the basidia <nature of modification>/
       1. transversely septate <Auriculariales>/
       2. cruciately divided/
       3. partially longitudinally quadripartite at the apex/
       4. bifurcate, with only two stout sterigmata each bearing a spore
          <Dacrymycetales>/
       5. retaining an apical tetrad of sessile basidiospores with no
          sterigmata/
 
#74. the basidia <whether pyriform with very stout sterigmata>/
       1. of characteristic form, being pyriform with very stout
          sterigmata <Ceratobasidiales>/
       2. not of the ceratobasidialean type (q.v.)/
 
#75. the basidia <number of sterigmata>/
       1. with only two (distal) sterigmata, these strongly curved/
       2. 4-sterigmate <the usual situation>/
       3. 5-8 sterigmate/
       4. 1-serigmate/
 
#76. the basidia <timing of maturation>/
       1. maturing simultaneously/
       2. maturing at different times/
 
#77. the basidiospores <comments>/
 
#78. the basidiospores <ballistosporic or statismosporic>/
       1. ballistosporic/
       2. statismosporic/
 
#79. the basidiospores <colour of the spore-print>/
       1. hyaline <colourless>/
       2. white/
       3. cream <yellowish>/
       4. yellow/
       5. pink/
       6. yellow-brown/
       7. olive <yellowish brown to yellowish green>/
       8. rusty brown/
       9. brown/
       10. fuscous/
       11. brown-black/
       12. blue-black/
 
#80. the basidiospores <smooth or ornamented>/
       1. smooth/
       2. ornamented/
 
#81. the basidiospores <presence of a germ pore>/
       1. with a germ pore/
       2. without a germ pore/
 
#82. the basidiospores <amyloid or not>/
       1. amyloid <staining blue with iodine>/
       2. inamyloid/
 
#83. the hyphae <with or without clamp connections>/
       1. with clamp connections/
       2. without clamp connections/
 
#84. the hyphal walls <ultrastructure: used to assign
          Anamorphic Fungi (=Fungi Imperfecti) to Ascomycota or
          Basidiomycota>/
       1. lamellate, with a thin, electron-dense outer layer and a
          relatively thick, electron-transparent inner layer
          <Basidiomycota>/
       2. lamellate, double layered, with both layers electron dense
          <Ascomycota>/
 
#85. the <dikaryotic basidiomycete> hyphae <presence of dolipore septa>/
       1. with dolipore septa/
       2. without dolipore septa/
 
#86. the hyphae <of the basidioma, analytical details>/
       1. monomitic/
       2. dimitic/
       3. trimitic/
 
#87. the generative hyphae <whether inflated>/
       1. inflated/
       2. not inflated/
 
#88. the context hyphae <branching pattern>/
       1. exhibiting distinctive right-angled branching/
       2. not exhibiting distinctive right-angled branching/
 
#89. the context hyphae <inflation at the septa>/
       1. loosely arranged and inflated at the septa/
       2. not inflated at the septa/
 
#90. spaerocysts <presence or absence in the flesh of the fruit-body>/
       1. present among the context hyphae, sometimes associated with
          latex/
       2. not occurring among the context hyphae <though sometimes
          present in other parts, such as the veil>/
 
#91. the context hyphae <of basidiomycetes, whether xanthochroic>/
       1. xanthochroic <context reddish- or yellowish-brown, darkening
          under treatment with KOH>/
       2. not xanthochroic <dubiously implicit>/
 
#92. the context hyphae <of basidiomycetes, whether greening in alkali>/
       1. releasing green pigment when treated with KOH <owing to the
          presence of thelephoric acid>/
       2. not releasing green pigment when treated with KOH/
 
#93. the context hyphae <of basidiomycetes, reaction with ferric
          chloride>/
       1. green positive to ferric chloride/
       2. negative to ferric chloride/
 
#94. <prenylated phenols and quinones: Boletales>/
       1. yielding prenylated phenols and quinones/
       2. not yielding prenylated phenols and quinones/
 
#95. <whether parasitic or saprophytic and/or mycorrhizal>/
       1. parasitic/
       2. saprophytic/
       3. mycorrhizal/
 
#96. <when parasitic, hosts>/
       1. on insects/
       2. on other fungi/
       3. on vascular plants/
       4. on mosses/
 
#97. <association with dung>/
       1. coprophilous <associated with dung>/
       2. keratinophilic <on decaying keratinous animal products>/
       3. neither coprophilous nor particularly associated with decaying
          keratinous materials <implicit>/
 
#98. <whether marine>/
       1. marine/
       2. non-marine <implicit>/
 
#99. the fruit-bodies <whether suberranean>/
       1. subterranean <hypogeal, even when mature>/
       2. not subterranean <implicit>/
 
#100. the fruit-bodies <general location>/
       1. borne on the ground <terricolous: on soil, in grass, in humus,
          etc.>/
       2. on dead wood <standing or fallen trees, timber, etc.>/
       3. on living wood/
 
#101. associated <with broad-leaved trees or conifers>/
       1. with broad-leaved trees/
       2. with conifers/
 
#102. the fruit-bodies <lignicolous forms, location>/
       1. on trunks and branches of living trees/
       2. on dead trees and fallen logs/
       3. on stored and construction timber/
 
#103. <ecological comments, plants with which particularly associated>/
 
#104. found <situations>/
       1. in grassy places/
       2. in heathland/
       3. in \i{}Sphagnum\i0{} bogs/
       4. in broad-leaved woodland/
       5. in mixed woodland/
       6. in coniferous woodland/
       7. in places modified by human activities <e.g., roadsides, tips,
          parks, orchards, gardens>/
 
#105. <species number in Britain>/
       species in Britain/
 
#106. <genera in Britain:>/
 
#107. <general distribution in Britain:>/
       1. northern Scotland/
       2. southern Scotland/
       3. northern England/
       4. English Midlands/
       5. East Anglia/
       6. Wales/
       7. southeast England/
       8. central southern England/
       9. southwest England <including Scilly>/
       10. Isle of Wight/
       11. Ireland/
 
#108. <worldwide species number>/
       species/
 
#109. genera <number worldwide>/
 
#110. <world distribution>/
 
#111. <Phylum>/
       1. Ascomycota/
       2. Basidiomycota/
       3. Zygomycota/
 
#112. <Class of Ascomycota>/
       1. Ascomycetes/
 
#113. <Class of Basidiomycota>/
       1. Basidiomycetes/
       2. Urediniomycetes/
 
#114. <Subclass of Ascomycota-Ascomycetes>/
       1. Eurotiomycetidae/
       2. Leotiomycetidae/
       3. Pezizomycetidae/
       4. Sordariomycetidae/
 
#115. <Subclass of Basidiomycota-Basidiomycetes>/
       1. Agaricomycetidae <more or less = Homo(-holo)basidiomycetes,
          Hymenomycetidae: the metabasidium not divided by primary
          septa, though sometimes secondarily (adventitiously) septate>/
       2. Tremellomycetidae <Heterobasidiomycetes,
          Phragmobasidiomycetidae: the metabasidium nearly always
          divided by primary septa, usually cruciate or horizontal>/
 
#116. <Subclass of Basidiomycota-Urediniomycetes>/
       1. Urediniomycetes incertis sedis/
 
#117. <Order of Ascomycetes-Eurotiomycetidae>/
       1. Elaphomycetales/
       2. Onygenales/
 
#118. <Order of Ascomycetes-Leptiomycetidae>/
       1. Helotiales/
 
#119. <Order of Ascomycetes-Pezizomycetidae>/
       1. Pezizales/
 
#120. <Order of Ascomycetes-Sordariomycetidae>/
       1. Hypocreales/
       2. Sordariales/
       3. Xylariales/
 
#121. <Order of Basidiomycetes-Agaricomycetidae>/
       1. Agaricales/
       2. Boletales/
       3. Cantharellales <including a few Stereales>/
       4. Hymenochaetales/
       5. Phallales/
       6. Polyporales <including most former Stereales>/
       7. Russulales <including some former Stereales>/
       8. Thelephorales/
 
#122. <Order of Basidiomycetes-Tremellomycetidae>/
       1. Christianseniales/
       2. Cystofilobasidiales/
       3. Filobasidiales/
       4. Tremellales/
       5. Tulasnellales/
       6. Auriculariales/
       7. Ceratobasidiales/
       8. Dacrymycetales/
 
#123. <toxicity/edibility for humans>/
       1. edible/
       2. poisonous/
 
#124. <comments>/
 
#125. <abbreviated taxon name:>/
 
#126. <illustrations>/
