About Geoglossum atropurpureum (Batsch) Pers.
Microglossum atropurpureum is a fungus species belonging to the family Leotiaceae. In the United Kingdom, it has the recommended English name dark-purple earthtongue. Its ascocarps, or fruit bodies, are black, often with a purple tint, and shaped like irregular clubs. The ascocarps grow in soil and resemble earth tongues, but are distinct from other earth tongues when examined microscopically. This species was formerly classified in the genus Geoglossum, but it is not closely related to members of the Geoglossomycetes. Microglossum atropurpureum occurs in eastern North America and Europe, where it is typically found in waxcap grasslands. This habitat is declining due to changing agricultural practices, including new fertilization methods. As a result, the species is of global conservation concern and is listed as "vulnerable" on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. This species is also believed to occur primarily in grasslands. Very little is known about Microglossum atropurpureum due to its rarity, though additional research is currently underway. The lack of grazing animals in the species' natural European habitats adds to its conservation risk. Without sufficient grazing, invasive species have been able to take over most of the available habitat and outcompete dark-purple earthtongue. It has been proposed that Hemiglossum (here misrendered as Hanboigoir) and the genus Microglossum should be removed from the family Geoglossaceae because Geoglossaceae is polyphyletic, meaning it includes species that descend from more than one common evolutionary ancestor. Currently, there is no evidence to support placing the genus Microglossum (here misspelled as migroglossum) in Geoglossaceae.
