Ramaria formosa

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Ramaria formosa
Ramaria formosa2.png
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Basidiomycota
Class: Agaricomycetes
Order: Gomphales
Family: Gomphaceae
Genus: Ramaria
Species:
R. formosa
Binomial name
Ramaria formosa
(Pers.) Quél. (1888)
Synonyms [1]
  • Clavaria formosaPers. (1797)
  • Merisma formosum(Pers.) Lenz (1831)
  • Clavaria formosa Krombh. (1841)
  • Corallium formosum(Pers.) G.Hahn (1883)
Ramaria formosa
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 yellow
Mycorrhizal fungus.svgEcology is mycorrhizal
Mycomorphbox Poison.pngEdibility is poisonous

Ramaria formosa, commonly known as the salmon coral, [2] [3] beautiful clavaria, handsome clavaria, yellow-tipped- [4] or pink coral fungus, is a coral fungus found in Europe. It is widely held to be mildly poisonous if consumed, giving rise to acute gastrointestinal symptoms of nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and colicky pain. It is a pinkish, much-branched coral-shape reaching some 20  cm (8  in ) high. Similar forms collected in North America are now considered to represent a different species than the European Ramaria formosa. [5]

Contents

Taxonomy

The fungus was initially described by Christian Hendrik Persoon in 1797 as Clavaria formosa. [6] In 1821, Elias Magnus Fries sanctioned the genus name Clavaria , and treated Ramaria as a section of Clavaria. [7] It was placed in its current genus by French mycologist Lucien Quélet in 1888. [8] Synonyms have resulted from transfers of the fungus to the now obsolete genera Merisma by Harald Othmar Lenz in 1831, [9] and to Corallium by Gotthold Hahn in 1883. [10]

The generic name is derived from Latin rāmus 'branch', while the specific epithet comes from the Latin formōsus 'beautiful'. [11] Common names include salmon coral, [12] beautiful clavaria, handsome clavaria, [13] yellow-tipped- or pink coral fungus. [14] There is some confusion over its classification as there is evidence the binomial name has been applied loosely to any coral fungus fitting the description, and thus the collections from North America are now considered to be a different species. [15] [5]

Description

The fruit body of Ramaria formosa grows to a height of 30 cm (12 in) and width of 15 cm (6 in); [16] it is a many-branched coral-like structure, the yellow-tipped pinkish branches arising from a thick base. [17] Terminal branches are less than 0.5 cm (0.2 in) in diameter. The flesh is white, with pink in the middle, [17] or pale orange. It may turn wine-coloured or blackish when bruised. [16] Old specimens fade so the original colour is hard to distinguish. The smell is unpleasant and taste bitter. [17]

The spores have a cylindrical to elliptical shape, and measure 8–15 by 4–6  µm. The spore surface features small warts that are arranged in confluent lines. Basidia (spore-bearing cells) are club-shaped, measuring 40–60 by 7–10 µm [18] Clamp connections are present in the hyphae.

Similar species

There are several other Ramaria species with yellow-tipped, salmon-coloured branches, including R. leptoformosa , R. neoformosa , R. raveneliana and R. rubricarnata . These are distinguished from R. formosa most reliably using microscopic characteristics. [19] A general rule is to avoid all old coral fungi for consumption. [17]

Distribution and habitat

Fruiting in autumn, Ramaria formosa is associated with beech and is found in Europe. [20] In Cyprus, the fungus is thought to form mycorrhizal associations with golden oak (Quercus alnifolia). [21]

Toxicity

Consumption of the fungus results in acute gastrointestinal symptoms of nausea, vomiting, colicky abdominal pain and diarrhea. The toxins responsible are unknown to date. It has been reported as edible if the acrid tips are removed. [22]

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<i>Tricholoma pardinum</i> Species of agaric fungus endemic to North America, Europe, and parts of Asia

Tricholoma pardinum, commonly known as spotted tricholoma, tiger tricholoma, tigertop, leopard knight, or dirty trich, is a gilled mushroom widely distributed across North America, Europe, and parts of Asia. It is generally found in beech woodland in summer and autumn. Two subspecies have been described from southern Europe. First officially described by Christiaan Hendrik Persoon in 1801, T. pardinum has had a confusing taxonomic history that extends over two centuries. In 1762, German naturalist Jacob Christian Schäffer described the species Agaricus tigrinus with an illustration corresponding to what is thought to be T. pardinum, and consequently, the name Tricholoma tigrinum has been used erroneously in some European field guides.

<i>Ramaria</i> Genus of fungi

The genus Ramaria comprises approximately 200 species of coral fungi. Several, such as Ramaria flava, are edible and picked in Europe, though they are easily confused with several mildly poisonous species capable of causing nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea; these include R. formosa and R. pallida. Three Ramaria species have been demonstrated to contain a very unusual organoarsenic compound homoarsenocholine.

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

Clavulina cristata, commonly known as the 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 fragilis</i> Species of fungus

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 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.

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

Thelephora palmata 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 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>Protostropharia semiglobata</i> Species of fungus

Protostropharia semiglobata, commonly known as the dung roundhead, the halfglobe mushroom, or the hemispheric stropharia, is an agaric fungus of the family Strophariaceae. A common and widespread species with a cosmopolitan distribution, the fungus produces mushrooms on the dung of various wild and domesticated herbivores. The mushrooms have hemispherical straw yellow to buff-tan caps measuring 1–4 cm (0.4–1.6 in), greyish gills that become dark brown in age, and a slender, smooth stem 3–12 cm (1.2–4.7 in) long with a fragile ring.

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

Ramaria fennica, commonly known as the bitter coral, is a coral mushroom in the family Gomphaceae. It is found in Australia, Europe and North America.

<i>Phaeoclavulina abietina</i> Species of fungus

Phaeoclavulina abietina, commonly known as the green-staining coral, is a coral mushroom in the family Gomphaceae. It is characterized by the green staining reaction it develops in response to bruising or injury.

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

Ramaria stricta, commonly known as the strict-branch coral 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>Tremellodendropsis tuberosa</i> Species of fungus

Tremellodendropsis tuberosa, commonly known as the ashen coral, is a species of coral fungus in the family Tremellodendropsidaceae found in Europe, North America, South America, and Asia.

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

Ramaria rubripermanens is a species of coral fungus in the family Gomphaceae. Described as new to science in 1973, it is found in the western United States and Mexico. Its fruit bodies, which resemble sea coral, grow up to 16 cm (6.3 in) tall and feature whitish to light yellow branches with pinkish to reddish tips. It is edible.

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

Clavulinopsis fusiformis, commonly known as golden spindles, spindle-shaped yellow coral, or spindle-shaped fairy club, is a species of coral fungus in the family Clavariaceae.

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

Ramaria magnipes is a coral fungus in the family Gomphaceae. It is found in western North America, where it fruits on the ground in mixed forests.

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

Ramaria gracilis is a species of coral fungus in the family Gomphaceae.

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

Ramaria myceliosa is a species of coral fungus in the family Gomphaceae. Found in North America, it was originally described by Charles Horton Peck in 1904 with the name Clavaria myceliosa. The type was collected by botanist Edwin Bingham Copeland in the mountains near Stanford University in California. E.J.H. Corner transferred it to the genus Ramaria in 1950. Giachini and colleagues proposed that Ramaria myceliosa is the same species as the European Phaeoclavulina curta, but did not provide molecular evidence to support their suggested synonymy. In a recent (2014) publication on California fungi, the authors propose the transfer of Ramaria myceliosa to the genus Phaeoclavulina, but as of January 2016, this transfer has not been accepted by either MycoBank or Index Fungorum.

References

  1. ↑ "GSD Species Synonymy: Ramaria formosa (Pers.) Quél". Species Fungorum. CAB International. Retrieved 18 November 2015.
  2. ↑ "Ramaria formosa · salmon coral". The British Mycological Society. Archived from the original on 2022-02-05. Retrieved 2021-05-21.
  3. ↑ "Ramaria formosa (Pers.) Quél. – Salmon Coral". NBN Atlas. Retrieved 2021-05-21.
  4. ↑ "Yellow-tipped Coral Fungus (Ramaria formosa)". Ninaturalist.nz. Retrieved 2021-05-21.
  5. 1 2 Franchi, Paolo; Marchetti, Mauro (2021). I FUNGHI CLAVARIOIDI in Italia (in Italian). Trento: Associazione Micologica Bresadola. ISBN   978-0-00-001844-1.
  6. ↑ Persoon CH. (1797). "Commentatio de Fungis Clavaeformibus" (in Latin). Leipzig, Germany: Wolf: 41.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  7. ↑ Fries EM (1821). Systema Mycologicum (in Latin). Vol. 1. Lund, Sweden: Ex Officina Berlingiana. p. 466.
  8. ↑ Quélet L. (1888). "Flore mycologique de la France et des pays limitrophes" (in French). Paris: Octave Doin: 466.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  9. ↑ Lenz HO. Die nützliche und schädliche Schwämme (in German). Gotha, Germany: Beckersche Buchhandlung. p. 95.
  10. ↑ Hahn G. (1883). Der Pilzsammler (in German). Gera, Germany: Kanitz. p. 72.
  11. ↑ Simpson DP. (1979). Cassell's Latin Dictionary (5 ed.). London: Cassell. p. 883. ISBN   978-0-304-52257-6.
  12. ↑ Holden L. (July 2014). "English Names for fungi 2014". British Mycological Society. Archived from the original on 2015-09-23. Retrieved 2015-11-18.
  13. ↑ Hladký J. (1996). The Czech and the English Names of Mushrooms. Masarykova univerzita v Brně. p. 308. ISBN   978-80-210-1406-0.
  14. ↑ Bresinsky A, Besl H (1990). A Colour Atlas of Poisonous Fungi: A Handbook for Pharmacists, Doctors, and Biologists. Würzburg, Germany: Wolfe Publishing. pp. 170–71. ISBN   978-0-7234-1576-3.
  15. ↑ Ammirati JF, Traquair JA, Horgen PA (1985). Poisonous Mushrooms of the Northern United States and Canada . Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press. pp.  306–10. ISBN   978-0-8166-1407-3.
  16. 1 2 Phillips R. (2006). Mushrooms. London, UK: Pan MacMillan. p. 346. ISBN   978-0-330-44237-4.
  17. 1 2 3 4 Zeitlmayr L. (1976). Wild Mushrooms: An Illustrated Handbook. Garden City Press, Hertfordshire. p. 108. ISBN   978-0-584-10324-3.
  18. ↑ Courtecuisse R. (1999). Mushrooms of Britain and Europe. Collins Wildlife Trust Guides. London, UK: HarperCollins. pp. 356–57. ISBN   978-0-00-220012-7.
  19. ↑ Davis RM, Sommer R, Menge JA (2012). Field Guide to Mushrooms of Western North America. University of California Press. pp. 296–97. ISBN   978-0-520-95360-4.
  20. ↑ Nilson S, Persson O (1977). Fungi of Northern Europe 1: Larger Fungi (Excluding Gill-Fungi). Penguin. p. 64. ISBN   978-0-14-063005-3.
  21. ↑ Loizides M. (2011). "Quercus Alnifolia: the indigenous Golden Oak of Cyprus and its fungi". Field Mycology. 12 (3): 81–88. doi: 10.1016/j.fldmyc.2011.06.004 .
  22. ↑ North P. (1967). Poisonous Plants and Fungi in colour. Blandford Press & Pharmacological Society of Great Britain. pp. 109–10.
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