Coral and Club Fungi at Indiana Fungi

Coral and club fungi are two generic categories that group many unrelated mushrooms together by appearance.

Coral mushrooms are a group of fungi that have a branched, coral-like appearance. Some genera that include coral-like mushrooms are Ramaria, Clavaria, Lentaria and Ramariopsis, among others. These fungi are found all over the world and come in a variety of colors, including white, yellow, orange, red, and purple. Some species of coral fungi are edible but are rather insipid and insubstantial when cooked.

Club fungi (or mushrooms shaped like a club) – mushrooms in this group include species from such varied genera as Clavariadelphus, Cordyceps, Macrotyphula, Microglossum, Geoglossum, Spathularia, and even some Xylaria species. None are sought after for the table.