Coral fungus

Coral fungus

Taxobox
name = Coral fungi


image_width = 250px
image_caption = "Ramaria stricta"
regnum = Fungi
phylum = Basidiomycota
classis = Agaricomycetes
ordo = Cantharellales
familia = Clavariaceae, Clavulinaceae, Ramariaceae
subdivision_ranks = Genera
subdivision = "Clavaria"
"Clavicorona"
"Clavulina"
"Clavulinopsis"
"Macrotyphula"
"Ramaria"
"Ramariopsis"

Coral fungi, also sometimes called antler fungi, are mushrooms that are so named due to their resemblance to aquatic coral or antlers.

Initially all classified in the genus "Clavaria", they were later split out into several genera including "Clavicorona","Clavulina", "Clavulinopsis", "Macrotyphula", "Ramaria" and "Ramariopsis".

Some superficially similar species are not so closely related; the fairy club genus "Clavariadelphus" belongs to the family Gomphaceae, while the genus "Calocera" is an entirely different organism of the class Dacrymycetes.

Coral fungi can be similar in appearance to jelly fungi. They are often brightly colored, mostly oranges, yellows, or reds, and usually grow in older mature forests. Some coral fungi are saprotrophic on decaying wood, while others are commensal or even parasitic.

A number of coral fungi are edible, although they should be cropped while young; when old, these fungi are fibrous or dry and woody. Some (such as "Ramaria flava") have been reported to have strong laxative effects though they are palatable [http://www.rogersmushrooms.com/gallery/DisplayBlock~bid~6746~gid~.asp] [http://www.henriettesherbal.com/eclectic/usdisp/fungi.html] . Some are too small to be worth gathering. However, some species are poisonous with acute gastrointestinal symptoms arising from consumption. These include "Ramaria pallida", known as colic coral and "Ramaria formosa", yellow tipped coral fungus. "R. flavobrunnescens" has been responsible for the death of livestock in Brazil.

ee also

*mushroom coral - marine animals that resemble fungi

External links

* [http://americanmushrooms.com/corals.htm AmericanMushrooms.com: Coral Mushrooms]


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