Artomyces pyxidatus

Description

This beautiful coral mushroom is easily distinguished by its distinctive tips. The tip of each branch sports many small points that surround a bowl-like, central depression. It is this crown-like arrangement that earned the Crown-Tipped Coral its common name.

No other coral fungi in North America have this distinctive crown pattern, so pyxidatus is easy to identify. The fruiting body is a medium-sized to large, branching structure, like other coral fungi.

Each branch develops from one of the tips at the end of another branch.

Older branches at the base of the mushroom are thicker to support the rest of the structure. The coral fungus varies in color from white to yellowish to tan, with the newly-formed branches at the top lighter than the old branches at the base.

Unlike most coral fungi, the Crown-Tipped Coral decomposes dead wood and can be found fruiting directly from hardwood logs from spring through fall.

In North America, it is most often encountered east of the Rocky Mountains.

Sometimes this mushroom forms numerous, small mushrooms from the same log, but it may produce only one, large mushroom. A. pyxidatus is edible, but must be cooked beforehand.

If you taste a fresh specimen (without swallowing), you will find that it develops a peppery flavor. That flavor usually disappears upon cooking, but you may find that a faint hint remains.

Common names:Crown Coral, Crown-tipped Coral.

Mushroom Identification

1. Ecology

   Saprobic; growing alone or gregariously on the deadwood of hardwoods (especially the wood of aspens, tulip trees, willows, and maples); spring, summer, and fall; widely distributed in eastern North America, the Rocky Mountains, and Mexico, but absent or rare on the West Coast.

2. Fruiting Body

   4-13 cm high; 2-10 cm wide; repeatedly branched.

3. Branches

   1-5 mm thick; smooth; whitish to pale yellowish at first, sometimes darkening to pale tan or developing pinkish hues; tips crowned with a shallow depression and 3-6 points, colored like the branches or becoming brownish.

4. Base

   1-3 cm long; under 1 cm thick; whitish, pinkish or brownish; finely fuzzy.

5. Flesh

   Whitish; fairly tough; pliable.

6. Odor and Taste

   Odor not distinctive or "faintly of newly dug potatoes" (Phillips); taste mild or peppery-acrid.

7. Spore Print

   White.

Health Benefits

Anti-microbial

There were some early indications of antimicrobial effects and anti-viral properties of Artomyces pyxidatus; the anti-viral effect was seen in animal strains of virus including an Avian virus. There is no further literature to support these original findings; however, one has to consider this may not necessarily be due to a lack of results, but rather research.

Inhibition of amyloid beta-peptide (Abeta)

Alzheimer’s disease is characterized by the build of protein in cells in the brain; the proteins in Alzheimer’s disease form plaques and tangles. The plaques are due to the presence of Abeta and the tangles, the Tau protein. Important scientific research showed that the presence of Abeta in vitro is decreased when administered a mycelial extract of Artomyces pyxidatus.

The group have continued to work on the mechanisms that may be behind this positive effect of reducing a potentially pathological protein, and they observe that Artomyces pyxidatus provides inhibitory effects on some important enzymes including an enzyme called acetylcholinesterase (AChE).

AChE breakdowns down acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter that is lost in Alzheimer’s disease. This leads to the cognitive changes associated with the disease. The prevention of the breakdown of any remaining neurotransmitter may prove positive in treating symptoms.

Look-Alikes

1. Ramaria

   Ramaria is a massive genus with most species a real pain to identify without a miscroscope/chemical tests. While several of these are eaten around the world, we suggest you do not consume these without taking further precautions. The tips of Ramaria are not split and they grow terrestrially (out of the ground, not wood).

2. Clavulina such as C. cristata

   These species have flatter, distinctive branching, even at the tips, but lack the crown-shaped branching. These also grow terrestrially.

3. Sebacina schweinitzii

   Also known as the false-coral mushroom, recently moved from the genus "Tremellodendron", these tend to grow as a dense fimbrillar cluster from the ground.

4. Lentaria species

   These species are a bit tougher and the branches won't fall off quite as easily. While the fruitbody is heavily branched and the branches are thin, the tips will come to points. These species are commonly found growing on leaf-litter and not wood.

Artomyces pyxidatus Cultural Info

The man credited with the name and discovery of Crown-Tipped Coral mushrooms, Elias Magnus Fries, was considered by many of his contemporaries as “the Linnaeus of Mycology.” His major contribution to the study of mycology was through better ways of organizing the different genera and species and was the first to use spore color as a basis for classifying gilled mushrooms.

Crown-Tipped Coral mushrooms are one of the many types of mushrooms that were reclassified once advancements in microscopes and DNA sequencing enabled mycologists to confirm the differences between the different club and coral fungi genera and species.

Artomyces pyxidatus mushrooms were moved from the Clavaria genus to Clavicorona in 1947, and then to the genus Artomyces in 1972. Today they are often still known and classified as Clavicorona pyxidate among some foragers.

Artomyces pyxidatus Preserving

Stored in a breathable bag, such as a paper bag, in the fridge or a cool place, the mushrooms can keep for several days. Never store the mushrooms in a plastic bag as this turns them soggy and slimy. If storing longer-term, place the mushrooms in a plastic container that just holds the mushrooms, sealing the top with plastic wrap. Poke holes in the top of the wrap to allow air and moisture to escape. Dries great.

Cooking Notes

Crown-Tipped Coral mushrooms can be consumed raw but are most often cooked as they can cause an upset stomach in some consumers. The mushrooms need to be thoroughly washed, as dirt can get lodged among the branches and between the small points at the tip of each stalk.

To wash, they should be pulled apart into pieces and agitated in a bowl of water.

Crown-Tipped Coral mushrooms are delicate and will soften and wilt quickly when heated, so they are often used as a finishing garnish in soups, stews, and stir-fries.

They can also be lightly battered and fried to serve as an appetizer, sautéed and served alongside fish or seafood as a play on coral in an under the sea theme, or pickled and preserved for later use.

Crown-Tipped Coral Mushrooms pair well with lettuce, bok choy, snap peas, green beans, cherry tomatoes, vinaigrette, miso soup, tofu, soy sauce, mirin, seafood such as white fish, prawns, shrimp, and crab, and meats such as poultry, beef, and pork.

Also try to pour boiling salted broth over them, leave let them cool in it, and then simply pick out individual clusters to drop into a soup as a garnish at the very last minute. Its also a lot of fun to serve them with seafood and freshwater fish, to get a sort of “sea” and fish combination/play on ingredients.

Recipe: Simple Fried Coral Mushrooms

How to cook

1. Preheat a frying pan, put butter (for every 1.76oz/50g of mushroom, a cube of 1.2in/3сm).

2. Put the coral mushrooms, salt and pepper, first under the lid for 10 minutes over moderate heat, evaporate excess moisture over medium heat with the lid open for 5-7 minutes.

3. Done! Add more salt or pepper if needed.

4. Optionally, the mushrooms can be fried with onions and herbs, and the oil can be replaced with vegetable oil.

Recipe: Roasted Coral Mushroom Salad

Ingredients

1. Coral mushrooms - 1/3 cup

2. Onions - 1 head

3. Chicken eggs - 2 pieces

4. Cucumber - 2 pieces

5. Raw smoked sausage (can be replaced with boiled pepper meat or poultry) - 1/4 cup

6. Vegetable oil - 2 tablespoons

7. Salt - 1 tablespoon

8. Ground black pepper - on the tip of a knife

How to cook

1. Clean well and rinse in cold water Coral mushroom.

2. Preheat a frying pan, add oil and put out the coral mushroom.

3. Simmer the coral mushroom for 10 minutes under the lid.

4. Peel and finely chop the onion.

5. Add the onion to the coral mushroom in a skillet and fry with the lid open for 7-10 minutes until golden brown.

6. Salt and pepper, taste.

7. Boil chicken eggs, cool, peel and chop finely.

8. Wash cucumbers, cut and chop them into thin strips.

9. Dice the raw smoked sausage.

10. Put the fried coral mushrooms in a bowl, add eggs, cucumbers and smoked sausage.

11. Stir the salad, add salt and pepper to taste, season with sour cream or sauce.

Recipe: Pickled Crown Coral Mushrooms

Ingredients

1. Salt – 1.5 tsp

2. Coral mushrooms – 1.5 lbs

3. Water – 3 cups

4. White vinegar – 1/3 cup

5. Garlic – 2 cloves of garlic

6. Optional add a dried chilli, favorite herbs, thyme or savory.

How to cook

1. Separate the coral mushrooms into clusters and wash them in cool water.

2. In a wide pan boil the water and add salt, vinegar, garlic, herbs. Heat and leave the mixture to infuse for 4 minutes.

3. Remove the herbs and garlic. Taste the mixture if need add more garlic or other spicy.

4. Add the coral mushrooms to the mixture and stir few seconds.

5. When the mushrooms are wilted replace them into 1/2 pint canning jars, leaving 1/2 inch of headroom at the top of each jar to prevent them from exploding.

6. Tightly close jars and process them in a water bath canner for 10 minutes.

Recipe: Crown Tipped Coral Parmesan Crackers

Ingredients

1. Coral mushrooms - 1/2 cup

2. Grated Parmesan - 3 tablespoons

3. All purpose flour - 2 tablespoons

4. A pinch of the salt

5. Flavorless cooking oil

How to cook

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F/165°C. Toss the coral mushrooms, parmesan, pinch of salt, and flour together in a mixing bowl, then make small mounds roughly the size of a 1/4 cup on a baking sheet.

2. Flatten out the mounds lightly, then spray with oil and bake for 35 minutes, or until the mushrooms have wilted and the cheese and flour are very crisp.

3. Few times flip the crackers occasionally. Remember cheese should be golden, and the crackers evenly crisp, but not burnt.

4. Remove the crackers, cool them, and serve.

Recipe: Coral Mushroom Soup

Ingredients

1. 17 oz coral mushrooms

2. 5 potatoes

3. 2 carrots

4. 8 cups of water

5. Bulb

6. Parsley root

7. 2 tbsp. l. melted butter

8. Vegetable oil for frying

9. Salt, pepper and bay leaf

How to cook

1. Clean and cut the mushrooms into large pieces, fry in butter.

2. Transfer them to a saucepan, pour 8 cups of water and cook for 30 minutes.

3. Chop potatoes, carrots, onions and parsley root. Add to mushrooms and cook for another 30 minutes. Pepper, salt, add bay leaf. Cook for 5 minutes.

Video

Photo sources:

Photo 2 - Author: hríb (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Photo 3 - Author: Bob (Bobzimmer) (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Photo 4 - Author: Peter Stevens from Seattle (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Photo 5 - Author: Jay Sturner from USA (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Photo 6 - Author: Аимаина хикари (Public Domain)