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The Identifier available here is unlike traditional species determination keys; based on just a few characters it will produce its best 'guesses' as to the species to which that collection should be referred. Each possible answer will have a probability associated with it; consulting with the appropriate species descriptions may also help make a final determination.

The 'guesses' are generated by a machine-learning algorithm that has been 'trained' to recognise species from our existing collections. We have found that using only a small number of characters works quite well and that microscopic characters seem to produce the most consistent picture; perhaps because macroscopic characters are more subjective. Indeed the only macroscopic character currently used is the number of lamellae.

For convenience you can also load data for an existing collection if you know it's "HJB ID". Once you've loaded a collection try varying its characters to see how the species determination changes. Further information is available on our testing page.

Collecting details


Macroscopic
Spores
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Extent of ornamentation

O1: spores almost smooth, even under immersion
O2: spores very weakly ornamented, only visible under immersion
O3: spores distinctly ornamented, ornament visible without immersion but not conspicuous
O4: spores with fairly strong ornamentation, always easy to see without immersion
X
 : O1  O4
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Degree of loosening of the perispore

P0: perispore not loosening
P1: perispore somewhat loosening (in a few to all spores), immersion often needed
P2: perispore distinctly loosening (in few to all spores), visible without immersion
P3: perispore strongly and consistently loosening.
X
 : P0  P3
help
Dextrinoidity: Degree of reaction with Melzer's reagent

D0: spores completely indextrinoid
D1: spores with an indistinct brownish tint
D2: spores weakly but distinctly dextrinoid, becoming pale brown or yellow brown
D3: spores rather strongly dextrinoid, becoming medium brown
D4: spores strongly dextrinoid, immediately becoming deep and intensely red-brown
X
 : D0  D4
5    20
2    15
1    2.5
Cheilocystidia
10  105
2    20
1     3
1     3
1     3
How to fill in the identifier's characters
The latitude can be entered as a number - negative for the southern hemisphere; positive for the northern - or with a trailing 'S' or 'N'. Similarly the longitude can be a negative number for the Western hemisphere (e.g. American collections) or positive for the Eastern (most of Europe and Asia). A trailing W or E is also accepted. The altitude should be entered as a number - the number of metres above sea level.

After identification, the location used by the identifier will be shown below.

Please see our morphology page for information and tips on choosing the lamellae, spore and cheilocystidia characters

When you have filled in the characters, select an identifier from the list below and then click "Identify".

Classification results