''Clavariadelphus pistillaris'' is a rare species of

mushroom A mushroom or toadstool is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground, on soil, or on its food source. ''Toadstool'' generally denotes one poisonous to humans. The standard for the name "mushroom" is t ...

of the family

Gomphaceae The Gomphaceae are a diverse family of fungi belonging in what is classically known as the Phallales The Phallales are an order of fungi in the subclass Phallomycetidae. The order contains two families: the Claustulaceae, and the Phallaceae ...

native to Europe and North America. It grows during summer and autumn almost exclusively in beech forest on calcareous soil on litter and woodchips. The mat and wrinkled

fruiting body The sporocarp (also known as fruiting body, fruit body or fruitbody) of fungi is a multicellular structure on which spore-producing structures, such as basidia or asci, are borne. The fruitbody is part of the sexual phase of a fungal life cyc ...

has the shape of a club with a rounded top. Its length varies between 10 cm and 30 cm and its width between 1 cm and 5 cm. The skin is red brown to ocher red, sometimes cinnamon brown with a lilac tint, turning brown when damaged. The spongy flesh is white. The

spore print 300px, Making a spore print of the mushroom ''Volvariella volvacea'' shown in composite: (photo lower half) mushroom cap laid on white and dark paper; (photo upper half) cap removed after 24 hours showing pinkish-tan spore print. A 3.5-centimeter ...

is pale yellow. It has a weak, but pleasant scent. Through its appearance it could be mistaken for ''

Clavariadelphus truncatus ''Clavariadelphus truncatus'' is a species of mushroom. The common name of the species is truncated club or club coral. It is a member of the basidiomycete fungi family Gomphaceae. Description The species has a yellow-orange fruiting body in the ...

'', a species found in coniferous mountainous forests. The western North American variety is known as ''C. occidentalis''.

Edibility

The species is recorded as being

edible An edible item is any item that is safe for humans to eat. "Edible" is differentiated from "eatable" because it does not indicate how an item tastes, only whether it is fit to be eaten. Nonpoisonous items found in nature – such as some mushroo ...

. There have been reports of the mushroom being a "

nutraceutical A nutraceutical or bioceutical is a pharmaceutical alternative which claims physiological benefits. In the US, "nutraceuticals" are largely unregulated, as they exist in the same category as dietary supplements and food additives by the FDA, unde ...

and/or functional food" due to its high

antioxidant Antioxidants are compounds that inhibit oxidation, a chemical reaction that can produce free radicals. This can lead to polymerization and other chain reactions. They are frequently added to industrial products, such as fuels and lubricant ...

activity and containing

essential fatty acid Essential fatty acids, or EFAs, are fatty acids that humans and other animals must ingest because the body requires them for good health but cannot synthesize them. Only two fatty acids are known to be essential for humans: alpha-linolenic ac ...

s.Dimitrijevic, Marija V.; Mitic, Violeta D.; Nikolic, Jelena S.; Djordjevic, Aleksandra S.; Mutic, Jelena J.; Jovanovic, Vesna P. Stankov; Stojanovic, Gordana S. (Nov 20, 2018). “First Report about Mineral Content, Fatty Acids Composition and Biological Activities of Four Wild Edible Mushrooms”. ''Chemistry & Biodiversity.'' 16(2): e1800492. doi:10.1002/cbdv.201800492. According to one field guide, the ''americana'' variety of the species usually does not have enough flesh to make it worthwhile to eat.

Edibility

References

Further reading