Clavulinopsis laeticolor

[ Basidiomycetes > Agaricales > Clavariaceae > Clavulinopsis . . . ]

by Michael Kuo

This tiny club fungus is easily overlooked, and can be quite a challenge to collect, unless you happen to carry tweezers with you when you go collecting. And, to be honest, if you do carry tweezers on your woodland mushroom outings, you probably need help. At any rate, Clavulinopsis laeticolor is, as a translation of its Latin name suggests, joyfully colored; it is typically orange or orangish yellow.

It is distinguished from similar tiny, yellowish club mushrooms by its dry surface, its tiny size (often only a few centimeters in length), and its tendency to grow alone or in loose clusters (rather than by the dozens in tightly packed clusters). Be sure to compare your specimens with the similar Clavulinopsis fusiformis.

I have no information on the edibility of Clavulinopsis laeticolor, but it would take hundreds to make a mouthful!

Description:

Ecology: Presumably saprobic; growing alone, scattered, gregariously, or in small clusters under hardwoods or conifers; summer and fall (also winter in warmer climates); widely distributed in North America.

Fruiting Body: 1.5-6.5 cm high; 1-5 mm wide; cylindrical and unbranched; sometimes somewhat flattened, or with a groove or a twist; dry; bright orange or yellow; fading with age; white at the extreme base; usually with a somewhat pointed tip.

Flesh: Pale yellow; thin.

Odor and Taste: Not distinctive.

Chemical Reactions: Surface yellowish green to green in KOH.

Spore Print: White.

Microscopic Features: Spores 4.5-7 x 3.5-5.5 µ; broadly elliptical, nearly round, or irregularly shaped; smooth; with an apiculus 1.5-2 µ long. Clamp connections present.

REFERENCES: (Berkeley & Curtis, 1868) Petersen, 1965. (Petersen, 1968; Smith, Smith & Weber, 1981; Arora, 1986; Barron, 1999; McNeil, 2006.) Herb. Kuo 06200301.

Clavaria pulchra and Ramariopsis laeticolor are synonyms.

Further Online Information:

Clavulinopsis laeticolor at MykoWeb

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Cite this page as:

Kuo, M. (2003, December). Clavulinopsis laeticolor. Retrieved from the MushroomExpert.Com Web site: http://www.mushroomexpert.com/clavulinopsis_laeticolor.html