white coral fungus

The fruit bodies are white to whitish-yellow in color, and are highly branched structures resembling coral; the dimensions are typically up to 8 cm (3.1 in) tall and 6 cm (2.4 in) wide. Older specimens may have a pinkish tinge. The tips of the branches are blunt, not crested as in some other species of coral fungi, like Clavulina cristata; branches are between 1 and 5 millimeters thick. The branch tips of mature specimens may be yellow. A stem, if present, may be up to 1 cm (0.4 in) long and scurfy—covered with small flakes or scales. The texture of the flesh may range from pliable to brittle. The odor and taste are not distinctive. This mushroom does not change color upon bruising or injury, but a 10% solution of FeSO4 (a chemical test known as "iron salts") will turn it green. In deposit, the spores are white. Viewed with a light microscope, the spores are translucent and have an ellipsoid to roughly spherical shape with spines on the surface, and dimensions of 3–5.5 by 2.5–4.5 μm. Spores are non-amyloid, meaning that they do not absorb iodine when stained with Melzer's reagent. The spore-bearing cells, the basidia, are usually 25–45 μm long by 6–7 μm wide, and 4-spored. Clamp connections are present in the hyphae of this species.

Similar species. The "crested coral" (Clavulina cristata, edible) is similar in appearance to R. …

The species is thought to be saprobic and is found growing on the ground, in duff, or less frequently on well-decayed wood. Fruit bodies may grow singly, in groups, or clustered together. David Arora has noted a preference for growing under conifers, as well as a prevalence in redwood forests of North America. In contrast, an earlier author claimed this species grows "rarely in coniferous woods." In Europe, Ramariopsis kunzei has been collected in Scotland (specifically, on the islands of Arran, Gigha and Kintyre peninsula), the Netherlands, Norway, former Czechoslovakia, Germany, Poland, and Russia (Zhiguli Mountains). It has also been found in China, India, Iran, the Solomon Islands, and Australia. In North America, the distribution extends north to Canada, and includes the United States (including Hawaii and Puerto Rico).

The species is edible, but according to David Arora, "fleshless and flavorless".

== References ==