Appearance
The fruiting body of "Ramaria formosa" grows to a height of 20 cm; it is a many-branched coral-like structure, the yellow tipped pinkish branches arising from a thick base.Terminal branches are less than 0.5 cm in diameter. The flesh is white, an important feature as edible members of the genus have yellowish flesh. Old specimens may fade so the original colour is hard to distinguish. The spore print is yellow. The smell is unpleasant and taste bitter. However, the taste has been reported as indistinct in North America.
Distribution
Fruiting in autumn, "Ramaria formosa" is associated with beech and is found in Europe, and North America. Forms from the western areas are known to occur under conifers.
Defense
Consumption of the fungus results in acute gastrointestinal symptoms of nausea, vomiting, colicky abdominal pain and diarrhea. The toxins responsible are unknown to date. It has been reported as edible if the acrid tips are removed.References:
Some text fragments are auto parsed from Wikipedia.
