''Phaeoclavulina abietina'', commonly known as the green-staining coral, is a

coral mushroom The clavarioid fungi are a group of fungi in the Basidiomycota typically having erect, simple or branched basidiocarps (fruit bodies) that are formed on the ground, on decaying vegetation, or on dead wood. They are colloquially called club fungi a ...

in the family

Gomphaceae The Gomphaceae are a diverse family of fungi belonging in what is classically known as the Phallales or cladistically as the ''gomphoid-phalloid clade''. In 2008, the family had 13 genera Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species ...

. It is characterized by the green staining reaction it develops in response to bruising or injury.

Taxonomy

The species was first described by

Christian Hendrik Persoon Christiaan Hendrik Persoon (31 December 1761 – 16 November 1836) was a Cape Colony mycologist who is recognized as one of the founders of mycology, mycological Taxonomy (biology), taxonomy. Early life Persoon was born in Cape Colony at ...

in 1794 as ''Clavaria abietina''. It is commonly known as the "green-staining coral". It was

classified Classified may refer to: General *Classified information, material that a government body deems to be sensitive *Classified advertising or "classifieds" Music *Classified (rapper) (born 1977), Canadian rapper * The Classified, a 1980s American ro ...

in the genus ''Ramaria'' (in the subgenus ''Echinoramaria''), until

molecular phylogenetic Molecular phylogenetics () is the branch of phylogeny that analyzes genetic, hereditary molecular differences, predominantly in DNA sequences, to gain information on an organism's evolutionary relationships. From these analyses, it is possible to ...

showed that ''Ramaria'' was

polyphyletic A polyphyletic group is an assemblage that includes organisms with mixed evolutionary origin but does not include their most recent common ancestor. The term is often applied to groups that share similar features known as Homoplasy, homoplasies ...

Description

The fruit bodies are leathery, and brittle when dry. They are small, measuring tall by wide, and branch from the central stem up to five times. The slender branches are slightly flattened or spreading, and forked or crested near the top. The color of the fruit body is medium yellow green to light olive, but will bruise a darker olive green to dark olive green. The

stem Stem or STEM most commonly refers to: * Plant stem, a structural axis of a vascular plant * Stem group * Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics Stem or STEM can also refer to: Language and writing * Word stem, part of a word respon ...

is long and thick; it has a mat of

mycelia Mycelium (: mycelia) is a root-like structure of a fungus consisting of a mass of branching, thread-like hyphae. Its normal form is that of branched, slender, entangled, anastomosing, hyaline threads. Fungal colonies composed of mycelium are fo ...

at its base, which is attached to

rhizomorph Mycelial cords are linear aggregations of parallel-oriented hyphae. The mature cords are composed of wide, empty vessel hyphae surrounded by narrower sheathing hyphae. Cords may look similar to plant roots, and also frequently have similar functi ...

s that branch into the substrate. The odor of the mushroom tissue ranges from indistinct to earthy, and it tastes initially sweet, then somewhat bitter. The species is inedible. The spores are dark orange-yellow when collected in mass. The spores are pip-shaped to broadly elliptical, with one oblique end; their dimensions are 6–9 by 3.5–4.5

μm The micrometre (Commonwealth English as used by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures; SI symbol: μm) or micrometer (American English), also commonly known by the non-SI term micron, is a unit of length in the International System ...

. The

basidia A basidium (: basidia) is a microscopic spore-producing structure found on the hymenophore of reproductive bodies of basidiomycete fungi. The presence of basidia is one of the main characteristic features of the group. These bodies are also ...

(spore-bearing cells) are typically four-spored, with the spores attached by

sterigma In biology, a sterigma (: sterigmata) is a small supporting structure. It commonly refers to an extension of the basidium (the spore-bearing cells) consisting of a basal filamentous part and a slender projection which carries a spore at the tip ...

ta up to 7 μm long.

Similar species

'' Phaeoclavulina myceliosa'' is very similar but does not produce a greenish stain. ''

Ramaria apiculata 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, vom ...

'' differs in its bright teal tips. Also similar in appearance is '' R. invalii'', which does not stain when bruised.

Habitat and distribution

Fruit bodies grow scattered or in groups (sometimes arranged in rows) on the ground in duff of

conifer Conifers () are a group of conifer cone, cone-bearing Spermatophyte, seed plants, a subset of gymnosperms. Scientifically, they make up the phylum, division Pinophyta (), also known as Coniferophyta () or Coniferae. The division contains a sin ...

ous forests. In North America, it is found in the United States (mostly October–February on the West Coast and July–October inland), including the

Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (PNW; ) is a geographic region in Western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though no official boundary exists, the most common ...

, as well as Mexico. It is also found in Europe.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q7289043 Gomphaceae Fungi described in 1794 Fungi of Europe Fungi of North America Inedible fungi Taxa named by Christiaan Hendrik Persoon Fungus species