Clavaria fragilis

What You Should Know

Clavaria fragilis is a species of fungus in the family Clavariaceae. It produces tubular, unbranched, white basidiocarps (fruit bodies) that typically grow in clusters. The fruit bodies can reach dimensions of 15 cm (5.9 in) tall by 0.5 cm (0.2 in) thick.

This saprobic species, growing in woodland litter or in old, unimproved grassland. It is widespread throughout temperate regions in the Northern Hemisphere, but has also been reported from Australia and South Africa.

It is nonpoisonous and reportedly edible, but the fruit bodies are insubstantial and fragile. One field guide says "its flesh is tasteless and so delicate that it seems to dissolve in one's mouth." Its odor has been compared to iodine.

Other names: Fairy Fingers, White Worm Coral, White Spindles.

Clavaria fragilis Mushroom Identification

1. Fruit Bodies

   3-15 cm tall, 2-5 mm thick, simple, branches rounded to flattened in cross-section, often curved, tapering to a blunt or pointed tip; surface smooth, white, becoming yellowish in age especially at the tips; flesh white, fragile.

2. Spores

   Spores 4.5-7 x 2.5-4.0 µm, elliptical, smooth.

3. Spore Print

   White.

4. Habitat

   Solitary, clustered, or in groups on soil or duff in mixed hardwood-conifer woods; fruiting from late fall to mid-winter.

Clavaria fragilis Look-Alikes

1. Clavaria fumosa

   Grey in color, and like C. fragilis, may fruit in clusters

2. Clavaria purpurea

   Purplish to lilac-brown, clustered species.

3. Clavulinopsis laeticolor

   Yellowish-orange, has a mild taste and is one of our most commonly encountered fairy-clubs.

4. Clavulinopsis fusiformis

   Usually is yellower, has a bitter taste, and clustered fruitings are typically fused at the base.

5. Clavaria acuta

   An equally widespread species that typically grows singly or in small groups rather than in dense clusters and can be distinguished microscopically by its clamped basidia and larger spores.

6. Clavaria atkinsoniana

   Found in the southwestern and central United States, which cannot be distinguished from C. fragilis by field characteristics alone but has larger spores—8.5–10 by 4.5–5 µm.

7. Clavaria rubicundula

   Another North American species, which is similar in stature but has a reddish tint.

8. Multiclavula mucida

   A widespread lichenized species with smaller fruit bodies occurs with its associated algae on moist wood.

Clavaria fragilis Taxonomy and Etymology

Clavaria fragilis was originally described from Denmark in 1790 by Danish naturalist and mycologist Theodor Holmskjold, and was sanctioned under this name by Elias Magnus Fries in his 1821 Systema Mycologicum.

The Latin epithet fragilis refers to the brittle fruit bodies.

The species was redescribed by Swedish mycologist Olof Swartz in 1811, using the name Clavaria vermicularis (the epithet meaning "wormlike"). Though it is a later synonym—and thus obsolete according to the principle of priority—the latter name is still frequently used today. There are several other names considered to be synonymous with C. fragilis by the online taxonomical database MycoBank.

Sources:

Photo 1 - Author: Dr. Hans-Günter Wagner (Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic)

Photo 2 - Author: Dan Molter (shroomydan) (Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported)

Photo 3 - Author: Ron Pastorino (Ronpast) (Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported)