Clavaria fragilis

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Clavaria fragilis
Clavaria fragilis 45549.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Basidiomycota
Class: Agaricomycetes
Order: Agaricales
Family: Clavariaceae
Genus: Clavaria
Species:
C. fragilis
Binomial name
Clavaria fragilis
Holmsk. (1790)
Synonyms [1]
Species synonymy
  • 1790 Clavaria cylindrica Bull.
  • 1792 Clavaria glabra J.F. Gmel.
  • 1801 Clavaria eburnea Pers.
  • 1801 Clavaria eburnea var. fragilis(Holmsk.) Pers.
  • 1811 Clavaria vermicularis Sw.
  • 1818 Clavaria albaPers.
  • 1821 Xylaria albicans var. cylindrica(Bull.) Gray
  • 1821 Clavaria solida Gray
  • 1822 Clavaria vermiculata var. flexuosaPers.
  • 1822 Clavaria pistilliformePers.
  • 1887 Clavaria gracilior Britzelm.
  • 1879 Clavaria corynoides Peck
  • 1882 Clavaria simplex P. Karst.
  • 1891 Clavaria muelleri Berk. ex Cooke
  • 1901 Clavaria nivea Quél.
  • 1967 Multiclavula corynoides(Peck) R.H. Petersen
  • 1970 Clavulinopsis corynoides(Peck) Corner
Clavaria fragilis
Information icon.svg
Smooth icon.pngSmooth hymenium
No cap icon.svgNo distinct cap
NA cap icon.svg Hymenium attachment is irregular or not applicable
Bare stipe icon.svg Stipe is bare
Transparent spore print icon.svg
 Spore print is white
Saprotrophic fungus.svgEcology is saprotrophic
Mycomorphbox Edible.pngEdibility is edible

Clavaria fragilis, commonly known as fairy fingers, white worm coral, or white spindles, is a species of fungus in the family Clavariaceae. It is synonymous with Clavaria vermicularis. The fungus is the type species of the genus Clavaria and is a typical member of the clavarioid or club fungi. It produces tubular, unbranched, white basidiocarps (fruit bodies) that typically grow in clusters. The fruit bodies can reach dimensions of 15 cm (5.9 in) tall by 0.5 cm (0.2 in) thick. Clavaria fragilis is a saprobic species, growing in woodland litter or in old, unimproved grassland. It is widespread throughout temperate regions in the Northern Hemisphere, but has also been reported from Australia and South Africa. The fungus is edible, but insubstantial and flavorless. There are several other small white coral-like fungi with which C. fragilis may be confused.

Contents

History and taxonomy

Clavaria fragilis was originally described from Denmark in 1790 by Danish naturalist and mycologist Theodor Holmskjold, [2] and was sanctioned under this name by Elias Magnus Fries in his 1821 Systema Mycologicum . [3] The Latin epithet fragilis refers to the brittle fruit bodies. The species was redescribed by Swedish mycologist Olof Swartz in 1811, using the name Clavaria vermicularis (the epithet meaning "wormlike"). Though it is a later synonym—and thus obsolete according to the principle of priority—the latter name is still frequently used today. There are several other names considered to be synonymous with C. fragilis by the online taxonomical database MycoBank (see the taxobox). [1]

In North America, the fungus has colloquially been called "fairy fingers" [4] or "white worm coral". [5] In the UK its recommended English name is "white spindles". [6] British naturalist Samuel Frederick Gray called it the "worm club-stool" in his 1821 A Natural Arrangement of British Plants. [7]

Description

Fruit bodies usually grow in clusters. Clavaria fragilis IKAl 090920 1.jpg
Fruit bodies usually grow in clusters.

The fruit bodies of C. fragilis are irregularly tubular, smooth to furrowed, sometimes compressed, very fragile, white, up to 15 cm (6 in) tall by 5 mm (0.2 in) thick, and typically grow in dense clusters. [8] The tip of the fruit body tapers to a point, and may yellow and curve with age. [9] There is no distinct stalk, although it is evident as a short, semitransparent zone of tissue at the base of the club. [10] Microscopically, the hyphae of the flesh are swollen up to 12  μm wide and lack clamp connections. The spores are smooth, colourless, ellipsoid to oblong, measuring 5–7 by 3–4  μm. [8] The spores are white in deposit. [11] The basidia (spore bearing cells) measure 40–50 by 6–8 μm, and lack clamps at their bases. [12]

Edibility

Clavaria fragilis is nonpoisonous [13] and reportedly edible, but the fruit bodies are insubstantial and fragile. [14] One field guide says "its flesh is tasteless and so delicate that it seems to dissolve in one's mouth." [9] Its odor has been compared to iodine. [10]

Distribution and habitat

The species occurs throughout the Northern Hemisphere, in Europe, North America, and Asia. In North America, it is more common east of the Rocky Mountains. [10] It has also been recorded from Australia and South Africa. [8] In 2006, it was reported from the Arctic zone of the Ural Mountains, in Russia. [15]

The fungus grows in woodland and in grassland on moist soil, and is presumed to be saprobic, rotting fallen leaf litter and dead grass stems. The fruit bodies tend to grow in groups, tufts or clusters. [4] Although they can grow singly, they are typically inconspicuous unless in clusters. [16]

Similar species

Typical growth habit Clavaria fragilis 14393.jpg
Typical growth habit

Similar fungi with simple, white fruit bodies include Clavaria acuta , an equally widespread species that typically grows singly or in small groups rather than in dense clusters [17] and can be distinguished microscopically by its clamped basidia and larger spores; [8] the morphologically similar, but rare C. atkinsoniana , found in the southwestern and central United States, which cannot be distinguished from C. fragilis by field characteristics alone but has larger spores—8.5–10 by 4.5–5 μm; [18] C. rubicundula , another North American species, which is similar in stature but has a reddish tint; [19] and Multiclavula mucida , a widespread lichenized species with smaller fruit bodies that occurs with its associated algae on moist wood. [10]

Other similar species include Alloclavaria purpurea , Clavulinopsis fusiformis , Clavulinopsis laeticolor , and Macrotyphula juncea. [20]

Conservation status

In North America, Clavaria fragilis has been called "by far our most common Clavaria". [4] In northern Europe, it is one of a suite of "CHEG" fungi (CHEG standing for "Clavarioid fungi-Hygrocybe-Entoloma-Geoglossaceae ") considered to be indicator species of old, unimproved grassland (permanent grassland that has not been cultivated for some years). [21] [22] [23] Though such grasslands are a threatened habitat in Europe, C. fragilis is one of the commoner CHEG species. It is, nonetheless, on the national red list of threatened fungi in the Netherlands [24] and Slovenia. [25]

Related Research Articles

<i>Ramaria formosa</i> Species of fungus

Ramaria formosa, commonly known as the pinkish coral mushroom, salmon coral, beautiful clavaria, handsome clavaria, yellow-tipped- or pink coral fungus, is a coral fungus found in Europe. Similar forms collected in North America are considered to represent a different species.

<i>Clavulina cristata</i> Species of fungus

Clavulina cristata, commonly known as the wrinkled coral fungus, white coral fungus or the crested coral fungus, is a white- or light-colored edible coral mushroom present in temperate areas of the Americas and Europe. It is the type species of the genus Clavulina.

<i>Ramariopsis kunzei</i> Species of fungus

Ramariopsis kunzei is an edible species of coral fungi in the family Clavariaceae, and the type species of the genus Ramariopsis. It is commonly known as white coral because of the branched structure of the fruit bodies that resemble marine coral. The fruit bodies are up to 5 cm (2.0 in) tall by 4 cm (1.6 in) wide, with numerous branches originating from a short rudimentary stem. The branches are one to two millimeters thick, smooth, and white, sometimes with yellowish tips in age. Ramariopsis kunzei has a widespread distribution, and is found in North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia.

<i>Ramaria botrytis</i> Species of coral fungus in the family Gomphaceae

Ramaria botrytis, commonly known as the clustered coral, the pink-tipped coral mushroom, or the cauliflower coral, is an edible species of coral fungus in the family Gomphaceae. Its robust fruit body can grow up to 15 cm (6 in) in diameter and 20 cm (8 in) tall, and resembles some marine coral. Its dense branches, which originate from a stout, massive base, are swollen at the tips and divided into several small branchlets. The branches are initially whitish but age to buff or tan, with tips that are pink to reddish. The flesh is thick and white. The spores, yellowish in deposit, are ellipsoid, feature longitudinal striations, and measure about 13.8 by 4.7 micrometers.

<i>Clavaria</i> Genus of fungi

Clavaria is a genus of fungi in the family Clavariaceae. Species of Clavaria produce basidiocarps that are either cylindrical to club-shaped or branched and coral-like. They are often grouped with similar-looking species from other genera, when they are collectively known as the clavarioid fungi. All Clavaria species are terrestrial and most are believed to be saprotrophic. In Europe, they are typical of old, mossy, unimproved grassland. In North America and elsewhere, they are more commonly found in woodlands.

<i>Clavaria zollingeri</i> Species of fungus

Clavaria zollingeri, commonly known as the violet coral or the magenta coral, is a widely distributed species of fungus. It produces striking tubular, purple to pinkish-violet fruit bodies that grow up to 10 cm (3.9 in) tall and 7 cm (2.8 in) wide. The extreme tips of the fragile, slender branches are usually rounded and brownish. A typical member of the clavarioid or club fungi, Clavaria zollingeri is saprobic, and so derives nutrients by breaking down organic matter. The fruit bodies are typically found growing on the ground in woodland litter, or in grasslands. Variations in branching and color can often be used to distinguish C. zollingeri from similarly colored coral fungi such as Alloclavaria purpurea and Clavulina amethystina, although microscopy is required to reliably identify the latter species.

<i>Clavariadelphus ligula</i> Species of fungus

Clavariadelphus ligula, commonly known as the strap coral, is a species of fungus in the family Gomphaceae. It produces club-shaped fruit bodies with spongy flesh that grow in groups on the forest floor. It is found in Asia, Europe, and North America.

<i>Thelephora palmata</i> Species of clavarioid fungus

Thelephora palmata commonly known as the fetid false coral or stinking earthfan, is a species of clavarioid fungus in the family Thelephoraceae. The fruit bodies are leathery and coral-like, with branches that are narrow at the base before widening out like a fan and splitting into numerous flattened prongs. The wedge-like tips are whitish when young, but darken as the fungus matures. The common names of the fungus refers to its pungent odor, likened to fetid garlic. A widely distributed but uncommon species, it is found in Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, and South America, where it fruits on the ground in both coniferous and mixed forest.

<i>Clavaria fumosa</i> Species of fungus

Clavaria fumosa, commonly known as the grayish fairy club, smoky clavaria or smoky spindles, is a species of coral fungus in the family Clavariaceae. It was originally described by Christian Hendrik Persoon in 1795.

<i>Clavulinopsis amoena</i> Species of fungus

Clavulinopsis amoena is a clavarioid fungus in the family Clavariaceae. It forms slender, cylindrical, golden-yellow fruiting bodies that grow on the ground among plant litter. It was originally described from Indonesia and appears to be distributed in temperate areas of the southern hemisphere.

<i>Calocera viscosa</i> Species of fungus

Calocera viscosa is a species of fungus in the family Dacrymycetaceae. In the UK, it has the recommended English name of yellow stagshorn. In North America it is variously called coral jelly fungus, jelly staghorn, yellow false coral, yellow tuning fork, and jelly antler. Basidiocarps are gelatinous, bright golden yellow, and branched. It grows exclusively on logs and dead wood of conifers. Calocera viscosa is a common species throughout Europe and has also been recorded from North America, Asia, and Australia.

<i>Ramaria stricta</i> Species of fungus

Ramaria stricta, commonly known as the strict-branch coral or strict coral mushroom, is a coral fungus of the genus Ramaria. It has a cosmopolitan distribution, and grows on dead wood, stumps, trunks, and branches of both deciduous and coniferous trees. Its fruit body is up to 10 cm tall, made of multiple slender, compact, and vertical parallel branches. Its color is typically light tan to vinaceous-brown. All parts of the mushroom will bruise when handled. There are several lookalike corals that can usually be distinguished from R. stricta by differences in coloration, bruising reaction, or microscopic features. The fungus is inedible due to its unpleasant odor and bitter taste.

<i>Clavulinopsis umbrinella</i> Species of fungus

Clavulinopsis umbrinella, commonly known as the beige coral, is a coral mushroom in the family Clavariaceae. Fruit bodies are initially white before turning pale brown with darker brown tips. Originally described in 1860, it is known to occur in Europe and North America where it grows in grass. It is not a common species.

<i>Clavulinopsis helvola</i> Species of fungus

Clavulinopsis helvola is a clavarioid fungus in the family Clavariaceae. In the UK, it has the recommended English name of yellow club. It forms slender, cylindrical, yellow fruiting bodies that grow on the ground in agriculturally unimproved grassland or in woodland litter. It was originally described from Europe.

<i>Clavulinopsis fusiformis</i> Species of fungus

Clavulinopsis fusiformis is a clavarioid fungus in the family Clavariaceae. In the UK, it has been given the recommended English name of golden spindles. In North America it has also been called spindle-shaped yellow coral or golden fairy spindle. Clavulinopsis fusiformis forms cylindrical, bright yellow fruit bodies that grow in dense clusters on the ground in agriculturally unimproved grassland or in woodland litter. It was originally described from England and is part of a species complex as yet unresolved.

<i>Clavulinopsis laeticolor</i> Species of fungus

Clavulinopsis laeticolor, commonly known as the golden fairy club or handsome club, is a clavarioid fungus in the family Clavariaceae. It forms slender, cylindrical, yellow fruit bodies that grow on the ground in woodland litter or in agriculturally unimproved grassland. It was originally described from Cuba and is part of a species complex as yet unresolved.

<i>Clavulinopsis sulcata</i> Species of fungus

Clavulinopsis sulcata is a clavarioid fungus in the family Clavariaceae and is the type species of the genus Clavulinopsis. It forms very long, slender, cylindrical pinkish or orange fruiting bodies that grow on the ground among plant litter.

<i>Clavulinopsis corniculata</i> Species of fungus

Clavulinopsis corniculata is a clavarioid fungus in the family Clavariaceae. In the UK, it has the recommended English name of meadow coral. It forms branched, cylindrical, ochre fruit bodies that grow on the ground in agriculturally unimproved grassland or in woodland litter. It was originally described from Germany and is part of a species complex as yet unresolved.

<i>Clavulinopsis aurantiocinnabarina</i> Species of fungus

Clavulinopsis aurantiocinnabarina is a clavarioid fungus in the family Clavariaceae. It has been given the English names of orange spindle coral or orange worm coral. It forms cylindrical, orange fruit bodies that grow on the ground in woodland litter. It was originally described from the United States and is part of a species complex as yet unresolved.

<i>Multiclavula mucida</i> Species of lichen

Multiclavula mucida is a globally distributed species of basidiolichen belonging to the family Hydnaceae. Since its initial classification by Christiaan Hendrik Persoon in 1797, the species has been described under various synonyms and associated with multiple genera. Persoon described its fruiting bodies as gregarious, varying from simple to branching structures, predominantly whitish in colour with yellow to brownish tips. He also noted its frequent appearance in autumn on decaying, moist wood, often covered with a greenish crust necessary for its growth.

References

  1. 1 2 "Clavaria fragilis Holmsk. 1790". MycoBank. International Mycological Association. Retrieved 2010-10-11.
  2. ↑ Holmskjold T. (1790). Beata Ruris Otia Fungis Danicis Impensa[Happy Resting Periods in the Country Studying Danish Fungi] (in Latin). Vol. 1. p. 7.
  3. ↑ Fries EM (1821). Systema Mycologicum. Vol. 1. Greifswald, Germany: Mauritius. p. 484. Retrieved 2010-10-10.
  4. 1 2 3 Arora D. (1986). Mushrooms Demystified (2nd ed.). Berkeley, CA: Ten Speed Press. p. 637. ISBN   0-89815-009-4 . Retrieved 2010-10-11.
  5. ↑ Lincoff GH (1981). National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Mushrooms. New York, NY: AA Knopf. p. 400. ISBN   0-394-51992-2.
  6. ↑ "Recommended English Names for Fungi in the UK" (PDF). British Mycological Society. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-16. Retrieved 2010-10-11.
  7. ↑ Gray SF (1821). A Natural Arrangement of British Plants. Vol. 1. London: Baldwin, Cradock, and Joy. p. 657.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Corner EJH (1950). A Monograph of Clavaria and Allied Genera. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. pp. 251–54.
  9. 1 2 Orr DB, Orr RT (1979). Mushrooms of Western North America. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press. p. 60. ISBN   0-520-03656-5.
  10. 1 2 3 4 McKnight VB, McKnight KH (1987). A Field Guide to Mushrooms: North America. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin. p. 71. ISBN   0-395-91090-0.
  11. ↑ Sundberg W, Bessette A (1987). Mushrooms: A Quick Reference Guide to Mushrooms of North America (Macmillan Field Guides). New York, NY: Collier Books. p. 10. ISBN   0-02-063690-3.
  12. ↑ Ellis JB, Ellis MB (1990). Fungi without Gills (Hymenomycetes and Gasteromycetes): An Identification Handbook. London: Chapman and Hall. ISBN   0-412-36970-2.
  13. ↑ Miller Jr., Orson K.; Miller, Hope H. (2006). North American Mushrooms: A Field Guide to Edible and Inedible Fungi. Guilford, CN: FalconGuide. p. 340. ISBN   978-0-7627-3109-1.
  14. ↑ Ammirati JF, McKenny M, Stuntz DE (1987). The New Savory Wild Mushroom. Seattle, WA: University of Washington Press. p. 174. ISBN   0-295-96480-4.
  15. ↑ Shiryaev AG (2006). "Clavarioid fungi of urals. III. Arctic zone". Mikologiya i Fitopatologiya. 40 (4): 294–306. ISSN   0026-3648.
  16. ↑ Healy RA, Huffman DR, Tiffany LH, Knaphaus G (2008). Mushrooms and Other Fungi of the Midcontinental United States (Bur Oak Guide). Iowa City, IA: University of Iowa Press. p. 182. ISBN   978-1-58729-627-7.
  17. ↑ Ammirati J, Trudell S (2009). Mushrooms of the Pacific Northwest: Timber Press Field Guide (Timber Press Field Guides). Portland, OR: Timber Press. p. 238. ISBN   978-0-88192-935-5.
  18. ↑ Kuo M. "Clavaria vermicularis". MushroomExpert.Com. Retrieved 2010-04-12.
  19. ↑ Roody WC (2003). Mushrooms of West Virginia and the Central Appalachians. Lexington, KY: University Press of Kentucky. p. 422. ISBN   0-8131-9039-8 . Retrieved 2010-10-11.
  20. ↑ Davis, R. Michael; Sommer, Robert; Menge, John A. (2012). Field Guide to Mushrooms of Western North America. Berkeley: University of California Press. pp. 289–290. ISBN   978-0-520-95360-4. OCLC   797915861.
  21. ↑ McHugh R, Mitchel D, Wright M, Anderson R (2001). "The fungi of Irish grasslands and their value for nature conservation". Biology and Environment: Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 101B: 225–42.
  22. ↑ Winnall R. (2004). "Waxcap Grasslands" . Retrieved 2010-10-11.
  23. ↑ Rotheroe M, Newton A, Evans S, Feehan J (1996). "Waxcap-grassland survey". Mycologist. 10 (1): 23–25. doi:10.1016/S0269-915X(96)80046-2.
  24. ↑ "Rode Lijst". 2008. Retrieved 2010-11-28.
  25. ↑ "Slovenian Red List". 2010. Archived from the original on 2010-08-22. Retrieved 2011-01-12.
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