Coral fungi identification

Click Clack · #1 (**permalink**) 09-01-2009, 10:30 PM

Found this in a Yew forest on a field trip to South-west Ireland last September, unsure how to identify it so any help would be greatly appreciated!

Tried to do some research on coral fungi but couldn't really find any information that helped with the identification.

Also, hello!

mollisia · #2 (**permalink**) 09-01-2009, 10:41 PM

Hi,

sorry to say, but there is no chance to identify this species without knowing the microscopical characters. And as this coral is looking quite young, it wouldn't even be possible to determine it,because you will not have ripe spores.

To identify corals you have to evaluate the following characters:
- colour of the fruitbody in young as well as in older stage
- spore size and ornamentation (from fruitbodies in old stage)
- clamps yes or no
- rhizomorphal characters (very important! A Ramaria without enough rhizimroph material at the base can sometimes not be identfied!)
- sometimes chemical reactions on FeSO4 or KOH may be interesting

Who is interested in Ramaria may want to know that some month ago the German mycologist Josef Christan published a monograph on Ramaria, which is *THE* european monograph on this genus nowaday (german, with english summaries and keys).

best regards,
Andreas

Click Clack · #3 (**permalink**) 09-01-2009, 10:54 PM

Huh, shame.

All I can remember from speaking to someone about it on the day is that it only grows on dead Yew and is quite rare (therefore couldn't take sample for microscope analysis), would this narrow it down any furthur?
Obviously, as you have said, it is going to be impossible to properly identify it but just interested to see if there are any other possible ideas?

leifus · #4 (**permalink**) 10-01-2009, 09:34 AM

its very arly in the morning

but...could it be a Ramaria? possibly. R.formosa?

NickCantle · #5 (**permalink**) 10-01-2009, 12:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by leifus

its very arly in the morning

but...could it be a Ramaria? possibly. R.formosa?

Read Andreas' post very carefully. It makes much, much sense

mollisia · #6 (**permalink**) 10-01-2009, 08:04 PM

Hallo leifus and Click Clack,

sorry if I haven't mentioned: Yes, it is a Ramaria. That is sure. If it is a species which is really confined to yew (that is Taxus, isn't it?), then it doesn't occures in Central and South Europe (or has not been identified at least). Burt I strongly doubt this, because yew has no micorrhizal partners and only a very very limited number of fungal species which are able to destroy the wood of yew, because it is very hard. There is an article whcih I have read once but don't have it myself of someone who examined fungi on yew wood. It think it was Holm & Holm from Sweden. They have come to the result, the extraordinary few fungi could be found on thisd wood, and that there was *none* who is *only* occuring on yew wood.

I cannot judge from the picture whether this is a very robust exemplaire of a Ramaria belonging in the vicinity of R. flaccida-eumorpha-gracilis and so on (there are at least 15 species all small and ochraceous, all saprobionts) or if it is a very young specimen of a Ramaria in the vicinity of R. flava-flavescens etc. (also at least 10 purely yellow species, all micorhizal). It is in no case R. formosa, which in Germany is called "Three-coloured Coral" because it has a white base, salmon twigs and yellow tips.

best regards,
Andreas