Melanoleuca cinereifolia Dune Cavalier

Melanoleuca cinereifolia, Dune Cavalier, produces a chunky fruiting body with a fairly non-descript, grey-brown cap and grey gills. It is a species of sand dunes where it appears in the mobile sand areas among Marram Grass (Ammophila arenaria). It is often covered in sand and can be easily ignored. It is one of a number of Cavalier species that occurs in coastal dunes but it is the one most likely to be found on bare sand. Microscopic examination of a gill squash will reveal the characteristic cystidia with crystal-encrusted tips. The spores are quite rough in outline and stain blue in Melzer's iodine. Melanoleuca cinereifolia is a frequent member of the sand dune fungal assemblage in West Glamorgan and sometimes appears in large numbers in fore dunes.