Monday, December 9, 2019

White worm coral...aka fairy fingers or white spindles

It's not just a play on words, fungi really are fun. In my compact city lot I've discovered things such as dog vomit slime mold aka Fuligo septica (which admittedly is no longer considered a fungi but hey, work with me here) and Peziza fimeti, a strange growth that looks like a brown silicone cup. My latest discovery are the these thin white fingers which go by the name white worm coral...also fairy fingers or white spindles...

They're reaching up from the space between the lawn and the brick edging, which is actually kind of creepy.

Their real name is Clavaria fragilis, well, unless it's not. This Wikipedia article says there are are several other small white coral-like fungi with which C. fragilis may be confused.

Clavaria fragilis is said to be found growing in woodland litter or in old, unimproved grassland. While I'm not sure my small urban garden qualifies as either I do love the idea of it.

From the same Wikipedia article: "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"... nope, I have not, and will not, be tasting them.

A few have sprouted up in the lawn, away from the edging.

And now there's even a colony a few feet away next to one of the pathway pavers. They may be trying to stage a take-over...I'll be watching!


Weather Diary, Dec 8: Hi 53, Low 45/ Precip 0

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13 comments:

  1. Check out the Lichens, Mosses, Ferns, and Fungi group on FB if you want to see even more amazing things.

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  2. My first question was about tasting them, but you already answered that. They are actually cute, unless you call them "fairy fingers", which makes them creepy. There's a plethora of fungi in my garden, from tiny neon "things" to quite large mushrooms, non of which I can name. The home owner practices his golf swing with those that come up in the patch of lawn.

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  3. Well, that's one I've never seen before. It's interesting, in a creepy sort of way. After 3 rainstorms in close succession, I noticed that mushrooms are popping up in various spots in my garden too but nothing that exotic.

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    1. Oh! You've reminded me I had a mushroom growing on the trunk of one of my palms. I need to remember to check to see how it's doing.

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  4. Neat! I don't think I've ever seen anything like this before, and I pay attention to fungi.

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  5. That's definitely weird and creepy stuff. I've never heard of it, or seen it. Glad you didn't try eating it.

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    1. Ya I'm not terribly adventurous when it comes to things like that.

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  6. Really cool. Always fun to see what pops up unexpectedly.

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  7. Just found this same plant growing in my lawn - so fascinating. What became of yours? Did it spread? Die?

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    1. It eventually died back, but it's made a few reappearances.

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