July 6th.
After photographing the Golden-gilled Gerronema mushrooms, I decided not to
retrace my steps back to the trail. As I climbed out of the gully on the
opposite side from which I entered, I glanced off to my right and saw…
a decaying log with
coral fungi that I immediately recognized as the Crown-tipped Coral (Artomyces
pyxidatus), formerly called Clavicorona
pyxidata. These were
impressive enough to warrant sitting in the wet leaves again. The corals ranged
from…
large, about 10 to 12
cm tall and 7 to 10 inches wide, with many branches, to…
quite small, 5 to 8
inches tall, narrow, and with only a few branches.
Artomyces pyxidatus may be found widely in the Rocky
Mountains and eastern North America but rarely on the West Coast. This fungus grows
on wood - usually hardwoods
such as maples, Tulip Poplars (Liriodendron tulipifera), willows, and aspens - either
alone or in clusters, as in this case.
Fruiting bodies range from 4 to 13 cm in height and 2 to
10 cm wide and may have many branches. Fresh fruiting bodies are whitish and
semi-translucent. As they age, they become grayish or yellow in color and
opaque, often with brown tips. Their bases may be 1 to 3 cm long but less than
1 cm thick. Their texture is tough and rubbery. The tips of the branches are
characteristic of this species; they have a depression that is surrounded by 3
to 6 tips, which resemble crowns; they remind me of medieval castle keeps.
Several
species of coral fungi may resemble the Crown-tipped Coral fungus in
overall appearance; these include various Ramaria sp., Ramariopsis kunzei,
Lentaria micheneri, and Clavulina cristata. Most of these have more...
‘pointed’ tips
without the ‘crown-tip.’ It is the…
crown tip that
makes the Crown-tipped Coral easy to recognize in the field.
References:
- Mushroom Expert: Artomyces pyxidatus
- Mushroom Expert:
Clubs and Corals
Related post:
http://www.mushroomexpert.com/artomyces_pyxidatus.html
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