Hello fellow iNaturalist! This would be my first post in the forums. It’s regarding a question I just can’t seem to answer myself, not even after years of reviewing literature, using iNaturalist, & contacting at least one lab in the UK.
The question is: what is the organism called fogg in Scotland, that supposedly grows on Scotch heather / ling (Calluna vulgaris) sometimes? It’s often times described as a moss like growth on the plant’s woody stems, &/or a white, powdery coating on the foliage. Is it a fungus? Is it of the Clavicepataceae as speculated by many? Perhaps a Penicillium sp. that grows as an endophyte with the heather? Or something entirely different, like a lichenicolous fungi that attacks the lichens that sometimes grow on the heather?
As a agroecologist who’s done research into the use of entomopathogenic fungi for pest control, especially those of the Clavicepataceae, these sorts of fungi are of great interest to me, especially if they might possess properties that could be used in ecological pest control.
Any help would be appreciated, thank you!