''Microglossum viride'' is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

fungi A fungus ( : fungi or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, separately from ...

in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Geoglossaceae Geoglossaceae is a family of fungi in the order Geoglossales, class Geoglossomycetes. These fungi are broadly known as earth tongues. The ascocarps of most species in the family Geoglossaceae are terrestrial and are generally small, dark in col ...

. They are commonly called green earth tongues.

Etymology

The word ''Microglossum'' comes from the

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

words mikrós + glōssa, and literally means "small tongue". The species epithet, ''viride,'' comes from the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

viridis for "green."

History

''Microglossum viride'' was described by

Christiaan Hendrik Persoon Christiaan Hendrik Persoon (1 February 1761 – 16 November 1836) was a German mycologist who made additions to Linnaeus' mushroom taxonomy. Early life Persoon was born in South Africa at the Cape of Good Hope, the third child of an immig ...

in 1797 as ''Geoglossum viride''. In 1879 it was moved into the genus ''

Microglossum ''Microglossum'' is a genus of fungi in the family Leotiaceae. Ascocarps (fruit bodies) occur in soil and resemble earth tongues, but are microscopically distinct. '' Microglossum atropurpureum'', a species typical of waxcap grassland in Europ ...

''.

Similar species

Collections of green ''Microglossum'' with scaly stipe had been commonly called ''M. viride''. In 2014 morphological and molecular data revealed another taxon hidden under this name that was segregated and described as new, i.e. ''Microglossum griseoviride'' (its epithet meaning "grey-green"). Aside of microscopic characters like spore size, they are distinct also macroscopically – true ''M. viride'' has yellow to olive colour and prefers wet habitats (e.g. on wet ground around brooks, often among hepatics) whereas ''M. griseoviride'' has colder colours, greyish green to bluegreen and grows far from water in litter from broad-leaved trees. There is also a group of green to bluegreen species around ''Microglossum nudipes'' that have stipe without scales and can be usually found on grasslands and pastures. As of 2018, ongoing research of their diversity resulted in five new species being recently described from Europe.

Location

''Microglossum viride'' species are found in woodlands in North America, Australia and Europe. 2012-06-09 Microglossum viride (Schrad

References

External links

* ''Microglossum viride'' at Mushroom Observer

* ''Microglossum viride'' Distribution Map

* Index Fungorum ''Microglossum viride'' record

* California Fungi - ''Microglossum viride''

* Key to Club Fungi in the PNW

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1552015 Helotiales Fungi of Australia Taxa named by Christiaan Hendrik Persoon