Ramaria xanthosperma (Pk.) Corner Fruit body up to 14cm high, 8cm wide; several major ascending branches dividing into 4-6 ranks of smaller dividing branches with crowded, doubly divided tips that broaden out to minute "fingers" in age; branches dull creamy yellow to ochre, tips clear yellow, purplish brown at the ends when bruised. Base up to 20 x 20mm, single stem tapering sharply to a bluntly pointed base; white underground, yellowish above, staining maroon on the base and lower branches, slowly turning brown; minutely felty underground, smooth above. Flesh cartilaginous, fibrous; white. Odor mildly aromatic. Taste musty, bitter, or beanlike. Spores cylindrical, finely and sparsely ornamented, 11.2-14.4 x 3.6-5µ. No clamps present. Habitat on the ground under hemlock or mixed conifers. Found in northeastern North America. Season August-September. Edibility not known -avoid, many Ramarias can cause stomach upset. |