Steccherinum oreophilum (aka Irpex oreophilus) – new for Norfolk

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In the middle of September I received good news in an e-mail from the Norfolk Fungus Study Group’s DNA Team:

“Your specimen submitted as Steccherinum oreophilum has been identified by DNA as Irpex oreophilus, which is a synonym, so we had the correct identification!

This species will be entered onto the Norfolk Mycota and the sequence added to Genbank. But it can’t yet be placed on FRDBI as it is not on the UKSI…“ (note 1).

I had collected and dried a sample of a fungus and passed it to the DNA Team because it was the first time the species had been found in Norfolk. I couldn’t find any previous records of the fungus in the British isles and this, combined with the species’ absence from the FRDBI and UKSI, makes me think it could be a new species for the British Isles.

Steccherinum oreophilum growing on the cut end of a willow stump

Steccherinum oreophilum (Irpex oreophilus) growing on the cut end of a willow stump. 1st March 2025.

Finding Steccherinum oreophilum

At the beginning of March 2025 my wife Vanna and I were walking along a path by the River Wensum in west Norwich, looking for Scarlet Elfcups and Alder Goblets, which we usually find there in late winter. We found both of them.

Vanna then spotted some unusual white fungi growing on the end of a cut willow stump on the edge of a dyke. The stump was still alive and had re-sprouted but the very end was dead and this is where the fungi were growing.

Vanna photographing Steccherinum oreophilum in situ.

Vanna photographing Steccherinum oreophilum in situ.

We took a closer look. The fungi were small (7 x 10mm across and about 4mm thick) and slender but tough white brackets with a tinge of pale orange. The top surface was felty but the undersides with their white to pale buff teeth (up to 3mm long) really caught our attention. The fungi had no obvious smell.

We took a sample home for a closer look.

A sample of Steccherinum oreophilum

A sample of Steccherinum oreophilum on my hand. Top surface (left) and toothed underside.

I checked my books and posted photographs on Facebook. The fungus resembled the photograph of Steccherinum oreophilum in Volume 2 of Laessoe and Petersen’s two volume “Fungi of Temperate Europe” (page 1048) and James Emerson (who has an excellent knowledge of wildlife and a very good eye for fungi) thought this too. I looked on the internet, where the information was from the United States, Finland and the Czech Republic (note 2).

Steccherinum oreophilum in greater detail

I did some microscopy, looking at the spores and cystidia.

Spores of Steccherinum oreophilum

Spores of Steccherinum oreophilum.

The spores measured 4.5 – 5 x 3 micrometres and were white and non-amyloid. (The photo above is at x1000 magnification. The spores have been stained with Melzer’s reagent and haven’t turned dark brown.)

Cystidia of Steccherinum oreophilum

One of the cystidia of Steccherinum oreophilum, showing its covering of crystals.

The cystidia (projections from the edge of the fruitbody) were covered in crystals. (The photo above is at x1000 magnification. The tissue has been stained in Congo red.)

Laessoe and Petersen also mention a close relative of Steccherinum oreophilum called Irpex lacteus. Like Steccherinum oreophilum, it forms small white annual brackets which can have teeth on the underside. Steccherinum oreophilum has smaller fruitbodies and the crucial microscopic difference is that Steccherinum oreophilum has clamps, which Irpex lacteus lacks. So the final stage was to search for clamps.

A clamp connection is a hook-like structure formed by growing hyphal cells of Basidiomycete fungi. Some species have them, others don’t. They can be hard to find and an absence of clamps is hard to prove (note 3).

My friend Anne and I took a look and found some clamps straightaway. (I was glad to have a second opinion from a more experienced mycologist.)

Hyphae of steccherinum oreophilum showing a clamp connection.

Hyphae of Steccherinum oreophilum showing a clamp connection (arrowed).

So it looked like we’d found Steccherinum oreophilum. I dried my sample at 60 degrees Celsius for eight hours in a food dehydrator, froze it (to kill anything living in it) and then defrosted it at room temperature. I passed my sample with paperwork and photos to the DNA Team and It matches with other DNA samples of Steccherinum oreophilum / Irpex oreophilus (note 4).

New for Norfolk? – Yes. New for the British Isles? – Possibly.

Is it new for the British Isles? Possibly, but someone else’s record may not have made it to the databases yet, so we’ll see.

Regardless, Vanna found a lovely little fungus and I’m glad I bothered to look at it.

Notes

Note 1 – The Fungal Records Database of Britain & Ireland (FRDBI) is a database of fungal records maintained by the British Mycological Society. Local fungus study groups send in fungi records for inclusion on this database, which can be searched for useful information such as dates of records, locations where a species has been found found and associations with other organisms (e.g. what type of wood a fungus was growing on or its association with particular trees).

The United Kingdom Species Inventory (UKSI) is a database of UK wildlife taxonomy and nomenclature. It is maintained by the Natural History Museum in London and forms the foundation for the largest biological recording and reporting systems in the UK.

iNaturalist UK has a page for Steccherinum oreophilum with several pictures (taken in the United States and in Russia). At the time of writing, none of the observations is from the British Isles.

Note 2 – Steccherinum oreophilum occurs in North America and in other parts of Europe. It is featured on the Texas Mushrooms website and on the Mykoweb website (Czech Republic) and the Finnish Biodiversity Information Service website.

Note 3 – In his excellent book “Fascinated By Fungi“, Pat O’Reilly says:

“… proving a negative can take forever. When your key or field guide says ‘clamps absent’ how long should you search before concluding that your specimen has no clamps? There is no right answer, but after searching for a few minutes you, like me, may begin to care a lot less about clamps and decide to move on and look for something else.”

Pat O’Reilly, “Fascinated By Fungi” (Second edition 2022, Coch-y-Bonddu Books Ltd, Machynlleth.)

Note 4 – See “From molecules to mushrooms: DNA sequencing in Norfolk” for an introduction to the Norfolk Fungus Study Group’s DNA Team.

Orpine, Hylotelephium telephium

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It has been a long, hot summer. Today we have finally had some rain after weeks of drought, but we could do with a lot more.

Plants have been looking stressed and short grass has gone brown in many places but there have been some floral delights on recent bike rides, such as a nice patch of Harebells, Campanula rotundifolia, and some clumps of Orpine, Hylotelephium telephium.

Orpine, Hylotelephium telephium

Orpine, Hylotelephium telephium, on a south-facing roadside bank in East Norfolk, 17th August 2025.

When Orpine is in flower its tall stems of pink flowers stand out and dazzle. It looks too exotic to be growing on a roadside and resembles its near relative, Ice Plant (Hylotelephium spectabile), which is often grown in gardens (note 1).

Ice Plant is an introduction from south-east Asia but Orpine is a true British native and East Norfolk is one of its strongholds. (It’s a neophyte in Ireland and the Channel Islands.)

Orpine is a perennial herb that tends to form small but very persistent colonies. It dies back in winter and blends in with surrounding vegetation until it starts to flower (from July to September, usually peaking in mid to late August). I’ve only ever seen it on roadsides, on banks or beneath hedges, but it grows in scrub, on the borders of woods and on limestone pavements, as well as some ancient woodlands. In the latter it sometimes doesn’t flower.

Orpine distribution map from BSBI Online Atlas 2020

Hylotelephium telephium distribution map from BSBI Online Plant Atlas 2020

Orpine, like Ice Plant, makes a good garden plant in well drained soil in full sun, where it will form a neat clump 0.5 – 1 metres (20 – 40 inches) tall and 0.1 – 0.5 metres (4 – 20 inches) across in two to five years. It is hardy down to -20 Celsius.

Orpine’s use as a garden plant means that the current distribution of Hylotelephium telephium includes naturalised colonies, usually near houses, as well as truly native plants. The BSBI Online Plant Atlas maps it without a status because “the native range in Britain is now hopelessly obscured by such escapes“.

Deer like to eat Orpine and this may be causing its decline in some areas. I’ve been told that Orpine is declining in Oxfordshire, for a variety of reasons: being eaten by deer, being shaded out by scrub and due to intensive cutting of roadside verges (note 2). But Jo from Norfolk Flora Group tells me she hasn’t noticed a decline in East Norfolk. Our road verges tend to be cut in May and Orpine will grow back and produce extra flowering stems (note 3).

Outside the British Isles, Hylotelephium telephium is native in most of Eurasia, with the exception of most of Scandinavia and parts of European Russia. It has been introduced into parts of Canada and the United States (note 4).

Orpine, Hylotelephium telephium

Orpine, Hylotelephium telephium, on a roadside north of Norwich. 22nd August 2025.

There are some great photos of Orpine on the Wild Flower Finder website.

Hylotelephium telephium is a member of the Crassulaceae, the Stonecrop family. Members of the family are well adapted for dry conditions and have succulent leaves and a a form of photosynthesis known as crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) that allows them to photosynthesise in the daytime and exchange gases during the cooler temperatures of the night, minimising water loss. Some members of the family also have hairy leaves to provide protection from strong sunlight.

Finding Orpine is always a treat.

It is not common enough to pick for food or medicine, unless you have an excess of the plant in your own garden. But according to the Plants For A Future website Orpine leaves are edible raw or cooked and the root is edible when cooked.

Medicinal uses for Orpine: “The whole plant is astringent and cytostatic. It is a popular remedy for diarrhoea, stimulates the kidneys and has a reputation in the treatment of cancer. A poultice of the crushed leaves has been used in the treatment of boils and carbuncles.”

In “The English Physitian” (1652), Nicholas Culpeper gave the following suggestions: “Outwardly, used with vinegar it clears the skin, inwardly taken, it helps gnawings of the stomach and bowels, ulcers in the lungs, bloody flux and Quinsy in the throat: for which last disease, it is inferior to none. Take not too much of it …” (note 5).

Orpine’s specific name, telephium, derives from Greek mythology. King Telephius was wounded in battle by Achilles and his wound wouldn’t heal until Achilles scraped pieces of his spear onto it.

Orpine has some other English names: Livelong, Life-everlasting, Live-forever, Frog’s-stomach, Harping Johnny, Midsummer-men (Midsummer Men), Orphan John and Witch’s Moneybags.

The first three names refer to the ability of the plant to sustain itself for a long period when uprooted or after being cut for decoration with the leaves kept on as both the leaves and the root are fleshy.

In “Flora Britannica” Richard Mabey explains that the name Midsummer Men comes from an obsolete custom of placing Orpine leaves indoors, in cracks in beams and joists. Sprigs of Orpine were placed in pairs (to represent two sweethearts) and the way they inclined away or apart was supposed to predict whether or not the romance would thrive. One of the pair would die if either sprig withered (note 6).

I haven’t been able to find an explanation for the other names, but presumably “Frog’s-stomach” and “Witch’s moneybags” describe the supposed shape of the plant’s shoots and/or roots. Please let me know if you have an explanation.

Notes

Note 1 – Hylotelephium spectabile is often known by its older scientific name of Sedum spectabile.

Note 2 – Judy Webb, in a comment on a post on BlueSky Social.

Note 3 – Thanks to Jo Parmenter for this information. The RHS recommends giving Orpine plants the “Chelsea chop”: “For bushy, compact plants, cut back the new stems by half in late May.”

Note 4 – There are at least four subspecies of Hylotelphium telephium:

  • Hylotelphium telephium ssp. fabaria Koch – West & Central Europe
  • Hylotelphium telephium ssp. maximum L. – Europe & W Asia
  • Hylotelphium telephium ssp. ruprechtii Jalas – North-east Europe
  • Hylotelphium telephium ssp. telephium – Central & East Europe, E Asia.

In the “New Flora of the British Isles“ (Fourth Edition, 2019), Clive Stace describes ssp fabaria as the common form in Britain, with the presence of ssp. telephium uncertain, at least as a native.

The NatureGate website says that Orpine is native by the south and south-west coasts of Finland but is introduced elsewhere.

Note 5 – Culpeper’s book is better known by its later title of “The Complete Herbal”.

Note 6 – Richard Mabey, pp 177 – 178, “Flora Britannica”. Sinclair-Stevenson, 1996.

Wild Marjoram, Origanum vulgare

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Gatekeeper butterfly on Wild Marjoram.

Gatekeeper butterfly on Wild Marjoram (Origanum vulgare).

I’m always cheered by the sight of a Gatekeeper butterfly (Pyronia tithonus) and the most likely place for me to find one is on flowers of Wild Marjoram, Origanum vulgare. Numbers in the garden have been high this summer and fortunately Wild Marjoram, which they visit for nectar, is tolerant of droughts like the one we’re having this year and is in full flower at the moment (note 1). Wild Marjoram normally flowers from July to September, though it started in June this year.

Common Marjoram flowers

Close up of Wild Marjoram flowers

Wild Marjoram in the Garden

I first encountered Wild Marjoram, Origanum vulgare, in the garden, where it was one my Dad’s favourite plants. I’ve grown it ever since, in the garden and on the allotment. It’s very adaptable and thrives in sun or semi-shade on well-drained soils, whether chalk, sand or loam. It isn’t fussy about pH – soils can be alkaline, neutral or acid. It is also very hardy (down to -15 Celsius). Plants grow around 50 – 80 centimetres (20 – 30 inches) tall and form a  gradually spreading clump, gradually spreading by runners or stolons.

Wild Marjoram is woody but is a hardy perennial and dies back in winter, leaving the old stems. I cut these old stems off in early spring before the plant puts on its new season’s growth. I grow Wild Marjoram in borders with other hardy perennials; it also does well in a bed with other herbs or in a large pot. Plants can be divided easily when dormant and will often seed gently around the garden. The RHS website gives advice on growing Origanum vulgare.

Wild Marjoram (Origanum vulgare) at the allotment.

Nurseries stock several varieties of Origanum vulgare and Wikipedia lists 54 species and hybrids of Origanum. I’ve used Origanum vulgare ‘Aureum’ (with golden leaves) and Origanum ‘Hot and Spicy’ (shorter plants with a hotter, spicier taste) in community gardening projects but in my own garden I’m happy with the “normal” variety. Even this can vary in the shade of its flowers.

Marjoram with darker flowers, at the allotment.

Wild Marjoram with darker flowers, at the allotment.

Origanum vulgare is a member of the Lamiaceae (Mint family), along with many other herbs. I’ve already written about some of them, including Water Mint (Mentha aquatica), Basil Thyme (Clinopodium acinos), White Deadnettle (Lamium album) and Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis).

The closely related Pot or Sweet Marjoram (Origanum majorana) is much less hardy plant and is best overwintered in the shelter of an unheated greenhouse, but it is “recommended in culinary circles for its flavour“.

Wild Marjoram in the Kitchen

Another name for Origanum vulgare is Oregano, from Spanish, Latin and ultimately the Greek “oros” (mountain) and “ganos” (joy), literally meaning “Joy of the Mountain”.

Many recipes call for oregano and it’s a very versatile herb which goes equally well with vegetables or meat. The flowers, leaves and stems are edible, though it is the leaves that are usually picked.

I use fresh Wild Marjoram leaves from the garden in Greek salad, a favourite lunch when homegrown tomatoes and cucumbers are in season. Otherwise, I tend to use the dried herb, which has a stronger taste. It partners well with spices such as chilli and cumin.

Wild Marjoram grown in southern Europe has a much stronger flavour than our homegrown leaves and dried oregano will usually contain leaves from southern European countries, such as Greece. Related species such as Origanum onites (Pot Marjoram) and Origanum majorana (Pot or Sweet Marjoram) may be used (note 2).

My friend and allotment neighbour Rosemary sometimes gives me a pot of oregano that had been gathered from Wild Marjoram harvested on a Greek hillside. It has a superb flavour.

Wild Origanum vulgare

Marjoram at Grimston Heath

Wild Marjoram (Origanum vulgare) at Grimston Heath, Norfolk

Wild Marjoram, Origanum vulgare, is native to Europe, much of Asia and Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco in North Africa. It has been introduced into North America, New Zealand and parts of China.

In the British Isles it is a native (outside the Channel Islands). It is found in most 10km squares in England and Wales and gradually becomes scarcer in the west of Scotland and the west and north of Ireland.

Wild Marjoram grows on dry, infertile, calcareous soils. It can be found in grassland, hedge banks and scrub. It is a colonist of bare or sparsely vegetated ground, including quarries, pavements and road verges. It is also occasionally naturalised from gardens. In tougher growing conditions plants are usually less vigorous than ones grown in good garden soil.

Distribution of Wild Marjoram (Origanum vulgare)

Distribution of Wild Marjoram (Origanum vulgare). Image from 2020 BSBI Plant Atlas.

Stace also lists Pot Marjoram (Origanum majorana) as a rare casual growing in the British Isles (note 3).

Medicinal uses

The Plants for a Future website lists a number of medicinal uses for Origanum vulgare. These include aiding digestion, promoting menstruation, treating respiratory conditions and as an antiseptic (note 4). It is strongly sedative and should not be taken in large doses or be taken medicinally by pregnant women (except in small amounts as a herb in cooking).

Wild Marjoram for Wildlife

Wild Marjoram is a great source of nectar for insects, including the Gatekeepers I mentioned above.

It is a foodplant of the day-flying Mint Moth, Pyrausta aurata, which flutters around the plants in the sunshine.

We visited Ranscombe Farm in Kent in June and found Wild Marjoram with galls caused by the mite Aceria labiatiflorae. The flowers and leaves had become matted with a felt of white hairs.

Gall caused by the mite Aceria labiatiflorae, on Wild Marjoram.

Gall caused by the mite Aceria labiatiflorae, on Wild Marjoram.

I saw my first Small Copper butterfly (Lycaena phlaeas) on Wild Marjoram in our garden in Scotland and we’ve seen one in our garden this summer.

Small Copper on Wild Marjoram

Small Copper butterfly on Wild Marjoram

Notes

Note 1 – The Gatekeeper butterfly is found in the southern half of Great Britain and in the extreme south of Ireland, though recent years have seen a few sightings in Scotland. They are common here in Norfolk and during July and early August I usually see several of  them every time I visit the allotment or go out into the garden. The adult butterflies are fond of flowers, especially Wild Marjoram. The larvae feed on grasses, mainly bents (Agrostis spp.), fescues (Festuca spp.) and meadow-grasses (Poa spp.).

When I grew up in Scotland Gatekeepers were an exotic southern butterfly (as were Brimstones, Commas and Holly Blues). I still remember seeing my first Gatekeeper, in August 1982 on Anglesey, on a visit to see my grandmother.

Origanum vulgare has a long, deep root run and very numerous, long root hairs, which allow it to tolerate prolonged periods of drought, though it’s best to water newly established or transplanted plants.

Note 2 – According to Deni Bown in the “Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses”. (Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995.), commercially available dried oregano can also come from other plants, including Mexican Oregano (Lippia graveolens), Lippia palmeri and Za’atar (Origanum syriacum).

But in 2015 it was revealed that one in four (19 out of 78) commercial samples of dried oregano contained added ingredients, most commonly myrtle and olive leaves.

Note 3 – Clive Stace, “New Flora of the British Isles“, Fourth Edition (2019).

Note 4 – Over 60 different compounds have been identified from Origanum vulgare, primarily carvacrol and thymol. Both carvacrol and thymol have antiseptic properties.