Identification of Picea-ectomycorrhizae by comparing DNA-sequences

Identification of the fungi forming ectomycorrhiza is still a great challenge. Ectomycorrhizae of Picea abies, collected in southwest Germany during several years and described as morphotypes, were identified using LSU and ITS sequences. To this the fungal sequences amplified from the mycorrhizae were compared with sequences from identified sporocarps. The fungal partner of Piceirhiza gelatinosa was identified as Hygrophorus olivaceoalbus, the fungal partner of Piceirhiza rosa-nigrescens was identified as Dermocybe cf. semisanguinea, and the fungal partner of a white mycorrhiza, described here for the first time, belongs to the Hebeloma velutipes group (Hebeloma crustuliniforme complex). Identification to genus level was possible for Piceirhiza lanuginosa where a Cortinarius-species is the fungal partner. A Tomentella-species forms a newly described light-brown mycorrhiza. Identification to family and to order-level was achieved for a milky-dull silvery mycorrhiza (Cortinariaceae), and Piceirhiza globulifera (Aphyllophorales), respectively. Ten samples of white, slightly bent mycorrhizae were formed by 8 different Cortinarius-species, including among others Cortinarius traganus, C. delibutus, and C. brunneus. The fungal partners of several brown, smooth mycorrhizae displaying only a Hartig net are Ascomycetes, among these are Wilcoxina cf. mikolae and Hymenoscyphus cf. ericae.