Identification: white fungus?

Discussion in 'Fungi, Lichens and Slime Molds' started by mei, Dec 25, 2005.

  1. mei

    mei Member

    Messages:
    6
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Tokyo, Japan
    I took this photo in BC. I think this is some kind of fungus. Can anyone identify it?
    Thanks for your help.
     

    Attached Files:

    • bug.jpg
      bug.jpg
      File size:
      15.9 KB
      Views:
      453
  2. Dee M.

    Dee M. Active Member 10 Years

    Messages:
    186
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Western Washington
  3. mei

    mei Member

    Messages:
    6
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Tokyo, Japan
    Several soft white fingers grouped together formed one base.
    I looked at the link above but doesn't seem like this is the one.
    Sorry it's difficult to see the fungus in my photo.
     
  4. Daniel Mosquin

    Daniel Mosquin Paragon of Plants UBC Botanical Garden Forums Administrator Forums Moderator 10 Years

    Messages:
    10,574
    Likes Received:
    615
    Location:
    Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    What was the fungus living on?
     
  5. wrygrass2

    wrygrass2 Active Member 10 Years

    Messages:
    576
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Spokane, WA, USA
    Hi, while looking for something else, I found a picture in an old nature guide book that resembled your fungus. It was called Hericium coralloides, common name Coral Hydnum. Take a look at this image search. I couldn't get a url for the individual pictures on Yves Deneyer's web site as he used frames pages, but I think the second picture above closely resembles yours.

    Not the most scholarly source, but their description is as follows:

    If this isn't the species then I would expect a close relative.

    Harry
     
    Last edited: Dec 29, 2005
  6. wrygrass2

    wrygrass2 Active Member 10 Years

    Messages:
    576
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Spokane, WA, USA
    And just when I thought I had it, I found this next species, Clavaria vermicularis, common name White worm coral. See http://www.pilzfotopage.de/Aphyllos/pages/Clavaria%20vermicularis.html for a comparison photo. C. vermicularis is brittle, and grows in moist earth, while Hericium coralloides grows on dead or dying wood. Probably why Daniel asked for the substrate or what it was growing on above.

    Harry
     
  7. Daniel Mosquin

    Daniel Mosquin Paragon of Plants UBC Botanical Garden Forums Administrator Forums Moderator 10 Years

    Messages:
    10,574
    Likes Received:
    615
    Location:
    Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    I lean toward the Clavaria as suggested by wrygrass. However, the substrate is important to increase certainty.
     
  8. Aud

    Aud Member

    Messages:
    6
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Ontario, Canada
  9. mei

    mei Member

    Messages:
    6
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Tokyo, Japan
    Clavaria

    Yes I think it is Clavaria! Looks exactly like it.
    The only thing is, is it possible for the white worm coral to grow in mossy places?
    I looked at the photo from the link and the Clavaria is growing in a very grassy area.
    My photo was taken in a wet mossy forest floor.

    Thank you again for all your help.
     
  10. wrygrass2

    wrygrass2 Active Member 10 Years

    Messages:
    576
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Spokane, WA, USA
    I have seen pictures of Clavaria vermicularis on line coexisting with various plant life and even growing in leaf litter where there was little or no plant life, so I expect that the prerequisites for its growth are found in the wet soil it grows in rather than the type of plants that coexist with it. But the wet earth is probably the first thing it needs and many plants can grow and indeed thrive in such conditions, which would include much of grass family and most of the mosses. In fact one of the ways to control the growth of moss in your lawn is to change the Ph level with lime (soil sweetener) and so that might be the difference in the two locations. One soil might be more acid or alkaline than the other.

    Also, I found pictures on line ranging from the Smokies in the Appalachians to California,(with references to it in BC, Michigan, and Wisconsin) so I would expect both the threads are of the same species, Clavaria vermicularis. I was unable to eliminate all the other species of Clavaria however as I was not able to find a picture for each one. Most that I did find were sufficiently different in appearance, though, that I expect until someone more knowledgeable about fungi jumps into the thread that C. vermicularis is the one.

    Harry
     
    Last edited: Jan 15, 2006

Share This Page