Sedecula pulvinata

Sedecula is a monospecific genus known only from relatvely dry forests of the American West where it apparently fruits irregularly and seldom in quantity. It is reported from about a dozen sites and roughly 20 collections. This is a small harvest for a species that has been known since the early 1940s (Zeller 1941). Within the range of the northern spotted owl, only one site has been located; elsewhere it occurs in the front range of the Rocky Mts., and in the Great Basin and neighboring states. The fruiting bodies are large enough to be easily found, but colored much like some rocks thus complicating the search process. It is deserving of further study and conservation.

Its range extends from one site near Boulder, CO to Coconino Co., AZ, Fresno and Shasta Cos. in California and Valley Co., ID.

One site is known within the range of the northern spotted owl; most of the known sites are in the Great Basin and adjacent states (Castellano et al. 1999, Fogel n.d., Fogel and States n.d.). Only about a dozen total sites are known for it. It appears to be rare throughout its range and to be restricted to relatively dry habitats.

This species is widely distributed and thus unlikely to be wiped out by local events; however, it is very patchy in its occurrence within its range. Logging and development are the main threats as this species is likely mycorrhizal and dependent on associated trees for many of its nutritional needs.