New localities of Chamonixia caespitosa (hypogeous Boletaceae) in Central Europe

Chamonixia caespitosa Rolland, has been recently found in Poland for the first time after 1945. The basidiocarps, partially exposed from the humus layer, were found in two localities: in the spruce forest in the Polish Tatra Mts., at the elevation of 1540 m a.s.l., and in the mixed forest with spruce and fir in the Beskid Niski Mts. at the elevation of app. 400 m a.s.l. The description of the Polish specimens generally agrees with descriptions of the specimens found in other Central European countries. The roundish to tuberculate basidiocarps were characterized by the presence of highly reduced stipe, whitish colour of the peridium changing rapidly to blue after exposure to air, small, complete or incomplete columella and brown, spongy gleba. Typically 4-spored basidia were present which produced ellipsoid, brown spores with the ornamentation in the form of rough, interconnected ridges. Taxonomic position, ecology and chorology of the species, the ontogeny of basidiocarps and description of ectomycorrhizae are summarized in the paper