Specimen AB#14 (Dead Man's Fingers)

I was really excited to find this particular fungus. Originally I had gone over to the overturned tree because I saw something a little brighter growing on it. I didn't notice this one until I was right next to it, it looked just like another root sticking out of the dirt-covered mess. I stopped what I was doing because I knew exactly what it was, and you know the science classes are getting to you when you're excited to recognize a fungus.

Figure 1. Xylaria Polymorpha growing from upturned roots

Name: Xylaria Polymorpha
Family: Xylariaceae

Collection Date: 10/04/2011

Habitat: Growing on upturned roots of a downed tree

Location: West Woods

Description: “Fruiting body 2-8 cm tall, 0.5-3 cm thick, very tough and hard or carbonaceous; erect, club-or finger-shaped to somewhat irregular or twisted, the tip usually blunt or rounded… Outer surface hard and crustlike… black when mature” (Arora 1986).

Collector: Andrew Burns

Key Used: Arora. D., (1986) Mushrooms Demystified 2^nd Edition, Ten Speeds Press, New York, NY

Keying Steps: 

“Coral & Club Fungi” p.630

Clavariaceae

1a. Fruiting body unbranched…2

2a. Fruiting body entirely brownish-black to black… p.782, Ascomycetes

Ascomycetes

1b. Growing on wood…2

2a. Growing on wood…3

3a. Fruiting body usually black…fingerlike to clublike …and very tough or hard…p.878, Pyrenomycetes

Pyrenomycetes

1a. Growing on wood…2

2b. Fruiting body black…p.885, Xylaria & Daldinia

Xylaria & Daldinia

1b. Fruiting body erect, clublike (unbranched)…2

2b. Fruiting body not branched or covered with white powder…3

3a. Fruiting body very tough or hard, up to 3 cm thick…Xylaria Polymorpha


Correlating Links:
http://www.mushroomexpert.com/xylaria_polymorpha.html
http://calphotos.berkeley.edu/cgi/img_query?stat=BROWSE&query_src=photos_fungi_sci&where-genre=Fungi&where-taxon=Xylaria+polymorpha&title_tag=Xylaria+polymorpha