Clavariadelphus truncatus
Encyclopedia
Clavariadelphus truncatus is a species of mushroom
. The common name
of the species is club coral. It is a member of the Gomphaceae
family of Basidiomycete fungi.
is white, thin, and hollow at the top. The vertical side of the fruiting body normally has folds and wrinkles, but can be smooth. The spores are smooth and their spore print
is pale yellow to ochre
. The yellow chanterelle is distantly related to the mushroom and looks nearly the same, except for the ridges and cross-veined hymenium
. The authors of Edible Wild Mushrooms of North America said that they think that it is unlikely that anyone would confuse the mushroom with another species.
is in coniferous forests from summer
to autumn
. The mushroom is a common species. The species can be found at a high elevation and is widely distributed. C. truncatus can bioaccumulate significant amounts of zinc
, and radioactive caesium-137
.
and has a sweet taste. While the species is edible, old mushrooms may be spongy and soft inside. The species is high in nutrition
and can be used for cooking. The authors of North American mushrooms: a field guide to edible and inedible fungi said that the mushroom has a pleasant odor. A Field Guide to Mushrooms: North America says that the mushroom is one of the best to eat and has a sweet flavor that is especially appealing to some people. David Arora, the author of Mushrooms demystified: a comprehensive guide to the fleshy fungi, said that the mushroom can be sauteed and served for dessert.
development when given to mice. Clavaric acid interferes with farnesyl-protein transferase, an enzyme implicated in tumorigenesis, which suggests that clavaric acid may have theraputic value in the treatment of certain cancers.
Mushroom
A mushroom is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground on soil or on its food source. The standard for the name "mushroom" is the cultivated white button mushroom, Agaricus bisporus; hence the word "mushroom" is most often applied to those fungi that...
. The common name
Common name
A common name of a taxon or organism is a name in general use within a community; it is often contrasted with the scientific name for the same organism...
of the species is club coral. It is a member of the Gomphaceae
Gomphaceae
The Gomphaceae are a diverse family of fungi belonging in what is classically known as the Phallales or cladistically as the gomphoid-phalloid clade. The family has 13 genera and 287 species....
family of Basidiomycete fungi.
Description
The species has a fruiting body in the shape of a club. The fleshTrama (mycology)
In mycology trama is a term for the inner, fleshy portion of a mushroom's basidiocarp, or fruit body. It is distinct from the outer layer of tissue, known as the pileipellis or cuticle, and from the spore-bearing tissue layer known as the hymenium....
is white, thin, and hollow at the top. The vertical side of the fruiting body normally has folds and wrinkles, but can be smooth. The spores are smooth and their spore print
Spore print
thumb|300px|right|Making a spore print of the mushroom Volvariella volvacea shown in composite: mushroom cap laid on white and dark paper; cap removed after 24 hours showing pinkish-tan spore print...
is pale yellow to ochre
Ochre
Ochre is the term for both a golden-yellow or light yellow brown color and for a form of earth pigment which produces the color. The pigment can also be used to create a reddish tint known as "red ochre". The more rarely used terms "purple ochre" and "brown ochre" also exist for variant hues...
. The yellow chanterelle is distantly related to the mushroom and looks nearly the same, except for the ridges and cross-veined hymenium
Hymenium
The hymenium is the tissue layer on the hymenophore of a fungal fruiting body where the cells develop into basidia or asci, which produce spores. In some species all of the cells of the hymenium develop into basidia or asci, while in others some cells develop into sterile cells called cystidia or...
. The authors of Edible Wild Mushrooms of North America said that they think that it is unlikely that anyone would confuse the mushroom with another species.
Habitat
The mushroom's habitatHabitat
* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...
is in coniferous forests from summer
Summer
Summer is the warmest of the four temperate seasons, between spring and autumn. At the summer solstice, the days are longest and the nights are shortest, with day-length decreasing as the season progresses after the solstice...
to autumn
Autumn
Autumn is one of the four temperate seasons. Autumn marks the transition from summer into winter usually in September or March when the arrival of night becomes noticeably earlier....
. The mushroom is a common species. The species can be found at a high elevation and is widely distributed. C. truncatus can bioaccumulate significant amounts of zinc
Zinc
Zinc , or spelter , is a metallic chemical element; it has the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. It is the first element in group 12 of the periodic table. Zinc is, in some respects, chemically similar to magnesium, because its ion is of similar size and its only common oxidation state is +2...
, and radioactive caesium-137
Caesium-137
Caesium-137 is a radioactive isotope of caesium which is formed as a fission product by nuclear fission.It has a half-life of about 30.17 years, and decays by beta emission to a metastable nuclear isomer of barium-137: barium-137m . Caesium-137 is a radioactive isotope of caesium which is formed...
.
Edibility
The mushroom is edibleEdible mushroom
Edible mushrooms are the fleshy and edible fruiting bodies of several species of fungi. Mushrooms belong to the macrofungi, because their fruiting structures are large enough to be seen with the naked eye. They can appear either below ground or above ground where they may be picked by hand...
and has a sweet taste. While the species is edible, old mushrooms may be spongy and soft inside. The species is high in nutrition
Nutrition
Nutrition is the provision, to cells and organisms, of the materials necessary to support life. Many common health problems can be prevented or alleviated with a healthy diet....
and can be used for cooking. The authors of North American mushrooms: a field guide to edible and inedible fungi said that the mushroom has a pleasant odor. A Field Guide to Mushrooms: North America says that the mushroom is one of the best to eat and has a sweet flavor that is especially appealing to some people. David Arora, the author of Mushrooms demystified: a comprehensive guide to the fleshy fungi, said that the mushroom can be sauteed and served for dessert.
Medicinal
The mushroom contains clavaric acid, which has been shown to reduce the rate of tumorTumor
A tumor or tumour is commonly used as a synonym for a neoplasm that appears enlarged in size. Tumor is not synonymous with cancer...
development when given to mice. Clavaric acid interferes with farnesyl-protein transferase, an enzyme implicated in tumorigenesis, which suggests that clavaric acid may have theraputic value in the treatment of certain cancers.
External links
- Healing-mushrooms.net Image & description of bioactive properties