Ramaria velocimutans Marr & Stuntz Fruit body 7-30cm high, 3.5-26cm wide; a cauliflower-like mass of short branches, branching up to eight times from the stem, dividing into many "fingers" near the narrowly rounded tips; branches yellowish or brownish white or light yellow, tips similar or paler. Base 20-90 x 10-45mm, single or occasionally compound, underground, tapering or cylindrical; white to pale yellow with extensive dark brown areas; nonamyloid. Flesh fleshyfibrous, drying hard and brittle; white. Odor sweet, sometimes slightly unpleasant. Taste not distinctive. Spores subcylindrical, ornamented with fine lobed warts, 8-12 x 3.5-5µ. Deposit light yellow to grayish orange. Clamps present. Habitat on the ground under western hemlocks or western yews. Found in the Pacific Northwest and California. Season September-November. Edibility not known -avoid, many Ramarias can cause stomach upset. |