White Coral Fungus

Appearance

The fruit bodies of ''Ramariopsis kunzei'' are white to whitish-yellow in color, and are highly branched structures resembling coral; the dimensions are typically up to 8 cm tall and 6 cm 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 long and scurfy—covered with small flakes or scales. The texture of the flesh may range from pliable to brittle. This fungus does not undergo any color changes upon bruising or injury, however, a 10% solution of FeSO4 applied to the flesh 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.

Naming

The "crested coral" is similar in appearance to ''R. kunzei'', but its branches have fringed, feathery tips. The "jellied false coral" has whitish, tough, cartilaginous branches with blunt tips.

Distribution

In Europe, ''Ramariopsis kunzei'' has been collected in Scotland, the Netherlands, Norway, former Czechoslovakia, Germany, Poland, and Russia. 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.

Habitat

The species is thought to be saprobic and can be 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."