Ramariopsis subtilis (Pers.) R H. Petersen - Slender Coral

Phylum: Basidiomycota - Class: Agaricomycetes - Order: Clavariales - Family: Clavariaceae

Distribution - Taxonomic History - Etymology - Identification - Culinary Notes - Reference Sources

This branching coral fungus is fairly easy to spot when it is growing in short grass, but in woodlands it may be almost entirely buried under wind-blown leaf litter.

Distribution

An uncommon find in Britain and Ireland, Ramariopsis subtilis is also found in most parts of mainland Europe. This species is known to occur in North America.

Taxonomic history

Some club-like and coral-like fungi are ascomycetous, but fairy clubs of Ramariopsis and related genera belong to the Basidiomycota.

Ramariopsis subtilis was was originally described in 1797 by Christian Hendrik Persoon, who gave this species the scientific name Clavaria subtilis. The name Ramariopsis subtilis dates from a 1978 publication by American mycologist Ronald H. Petersen (b. 1934).

Synonyms of Ramariopsis subtilis include Clavaria subtilis Pers., Clavaria dichotoma Godey, Clavaria macropus Pers., Clavulinopsis dichotoma Corner, Clavulinopsis subtilis (Pers.) Corner, Ramariopsis dichotoma (Corner) R.H. Petersen, and Ramariopsis macropus (Pers.) Paechn.

Etymology

The generic name Ramariopsis means resembling Ramaria, while the specific epithet subtilis means slender.

Identification guide

	Description Upright fruitbody, repeatedly branching from a common base; surface smooth, whitish or very pale brown; up to 4cm in height.
	Spores Subspherical, smooth, 3-4.5 x 3-4µm. Show larger image Spores of Ramariopsis subtilis Slender Coral  X  Spore print White.
Odour/taste	No noticeable odour; taste mild but not distinctive.
Habitat & Ecological role	Saprobic, on the ground in unimproved mossy grassland and among leaf litter in deciduous woodland.
Season	June to December in Britain and Ireland.
Similar species	Ramariopsis kunzei forms broader fruitbodies and has broadly ellipsoidal warty spores. Clavaria fragilis is similar but has white unbranching spindly fruitbodies.

Culinary Notes

Ramariopsis subtilis is reported to be inedible.

Reference Sources

Fascinated by Fungi, 2nd Edition, Pat O'Reilly 2016, reprinted by Coch-y-bonddu Books in 2022.

Dictionary of the Fungi; Paul M. Kirk, Paul F. Cannon, David W. Minter and J. A. Stalpers; CABI, 2008

Taxonomic history and synonym information on these pages is drawn from many sources but in particular from the British Mycological Society's GB Checklist of Fungi.

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