Pig's Ears

Appearance

The basidiocarps, or fruit bodies, of immature ''Gomphus clavatus'' are club-shaped and have one cap or pileus, but later spread out and have a so-called ''merismatoid'' appearance—several vase-shaped caps rising from a common stem. The fruit body is up to 15 cm wide and 17 cm tall, fan-shaped with wavy edges. The upper surfaces of the fruit bodies are covered with brown hyphae that form small, distinct patches towards the margin, but combine to form a continuous felt-like fine-haired area, or tomentum, over the center of the cap. The color of the upper cap surface is orange-brown to violet, but fades to a lighter brown with age. The cap margins of older mushrooms can be quite ragged. The lower spore-bearing surface—the hymenium—is wrinkled, often with folds and pits, and violet to brown in color. The solid stem, which is continuous with the cap, is 0.8–3 cm wide, 4–10 cm tall, and covered with fine hairs that become coarser towards the base. It is often compound, with several fruit bodies arising from the basal portion. Fruit bodies may bruise reddish-brown where handled. The flesh can be whitish-pink to lilac or cinnamon-buff. Thick under the center of the cap, it thins out towards the margins. It can be crunchy, though it is softer than that of the chanterelle. The taste and odor are mild. The spore print is yellow to orange-yellow.

The spores are elliptical, wrinkled or slightly warted, and 10–14 by 5–7.5 μm. They are nonamyloid, meaning they have a negative color reaction with the iodine in Melzer's reagent. The spore-bearing structures, the basidia, are elongated or club-shaped, hyaline , and four-spored, with dimensions of 60–90 by 8.5–11.5 μm. ''G. clavatus'' does not contain cystidia, the sterile cells associated with basidia in many species. Clamp connections are present.

Naming

''Gomphus crassipes'', found in Spain and North America, can only be reliably distinguished from ''G. clavatus'' with the use of a microscope. Its basidiospores are generally longer and have a more finely wrinkled surface. ''Pseudocraterellus pseudoclavatus'' is a lookalike species that grows under conifers in the central United States and westward, also differing on microscopic characters and reaction to potassium hydroxide. ''Turbinellus floccosus'' and ''T. kauffmanii'' are of similar shape but their caps are covered in scales. The edible blue chanterelle could be confused with ''G. clavatus'', but has distinctive spores.

Distribution

Growing on the ground, ''Gomphus clavatus'' mushrooms appear singly, in clusters or clumps, or even occasionally fairy rings. The species is typically found in coniferous forests, and with a preference for moist, shady areas with deep leaf litter, or rotten wood debris on the ground. It is equally common in older or younger stands of trees. Fruit bodies are easily missed because their colors blend with those of the forest floor. It is more common at elevations of greater than 2,000 ft . ''Gomphus clavatus'' has been reported as forming symbiotic associations with a variety of trees: ''Abies alba'', ''Abies cephalonica'', ''Abies firma'', ''Abies nephrolepis'', ''Abies religiosa'', ''Picea'' species, ''Pinus densiflora'', ''Pseudotsuga menziesii'', and ''Tsuga heterophylla''. It is also reported with beech in Europe.

In Asia, ''Gomphus clavatus'' has been reported from China, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Nepal, and Pakistan. European countries where the fungus has been reported include Austria, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Russia, Sweden, Switzerland, and Turkey. In North America, the fungus has been found across Canada, Mexico, and the United States, where it is abundant in the Pacific Northwest.

In Europe, ''Gomphus clavatus'' appears on the national Red Lists of threatened fungi in 17 countries and is one of 33 species of fungi proposed for international conservation under the Bern Convention. Due to a substantial decline in sightings, ''Gomphus clavatus'' became a legally protected species in Hungary on September 1, 2005. It also has legal protection in Slovakia and Slovenia. The species formerly occurred in the British Isles, but has not been seen since 1927 and is now regarded as extinct. The fungus faces loss and degradation of its habitat; eutrophication is another potential threat. ''Gomphus clavatus'' was selected as the 1998 ''Pilz des Jahres'' by the German Mycological Society, partly to highlight its vulnerable status.

Status

Growing on the ground, ''Gomphus clavatus'' mushrooms appear singly, in clusters or clumps, or even occasionally fairy rings. The species is typically found in coniferous forests, and with a preference for moist, shady areas with deep leaf litter, or rotten wood debris on the ground. It is equally common in older or younger stands of trees. Fruit bodies are easily missed because their colors blend with those of the forest floor. It is more common at elevations of greater than 2,000 ft . ''Gomphus clavatus'' has been reported as forming symbiotic associations with a variety of trees: ''Abies alba'', ''Abies cephalonica'', ''Abies firma'', ''Abies nephrolepis'', ''Abies religiosa'', ''Picea'' species, ''Pinus densiflora'', ''Pseudotsuga menziesii'', and ''Tsuga heterophylla''. It is also reported with beech in Europe.

In Asia, ''Gomphus clavatus'' has been reported from China, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Nepal, and Pakistan. European countries where the fungus has been reported include Austria, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Russia, Sweden, Switzerland, and Turkey. In North America, the fungus has been found across Canada, Mexico, and the United States, where it is abundant in the Pacific Northwest.

In Europe, ''Gomphus clavatus'' appears on the national Red Lists of threatened fungi in 17 countries and is one of 33 species of fungi proposed for international conservation under the Bern Convention. Due to a substantial decline in sightings, ''Gomphus clavatus'' became a legally protected species in Hungary on September 1, 2005. It also has legal protection in Slovakia and Slovenia. The species formerly occurred in the British Isles, but has not been seen since 1927 and is now regarded as extinct. The fungus faces loss and degradation of its habitat; eutrophication is another potential threat. ''Gomphus clavatus'' was selected as the 1998 ''Pilz des Jahres'' by the German Mycological Society, partly to highlight its vulnerable status.

Habitat

Growing on the ground, ''Gomphus clavatus'' mushrooms appear singly, in clusters or clumps, or even occasionally fairy rings. The species is typically found in coniferous forests, and with a preference for moist, shady areas with deep leaf litter, or rotten wood debris on the ground. It is equally common in older or younger stands of trees. Fruit bodies are easily missed because their colors blend with those of the forest floor. It is more common at elevations of greater than 2,000 ft . ''Gomphus clavatus'' has been reported as forming symbiotic associations with a variety of trees: ''Abies alba'', ''Abies cephalonica'', ''Abies firma'', ''Abies nephrolepis'', ''Abies religiosa'', ''Picea'' species, ''Pinus densiflora'', ''Pseudotsuga menziesii'', and ''Tsuga heterophylla''. It is also reported with beech in Europe.

In Asia, ''Gomphus clavatus'' has been reported from China, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Nepal, and Pakistan. European countries where the fungus has been reported include Austria, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Russia, Sweden, Switzerland, and Turkey. In North America, the fungus has been found across Canada, Mexico, and the United States, where it is abundant in the Pacific Northwest.

In Europe, ''Gomphus clavatus'' appears on the national Red Lists of threatened fungi in 17 countries and is one of 33 species of fungi proposed for international conservation under the Bern Convention. Due to a substantial decline in sightings, ''Gomphus clavatus'' became a legally protected species in Hungary on September 1, 2005. It also has legal protection in Slovakia and Slovenia. The species formerly occurred in the British Isles, but has not been seen since 1927 and is now regarded as extinct. The fungus faces loss and degradation of its habitat; eutrophication is another potential threat. ''Gomphus clavatus'' was selected as the 1998 ''Pilz des Jahres'' by the German Mycological Society, partly to highlight its vulnerable status.