Minnesota Seasons - Violet Coral Fungus

Photo by Luciearl

IUCN Red List

VU - Vulnerable

NatureServe

NNR - Unranked

Minnesota

not listed


	Description
	Violet Coral Fungus is a colorful, medium-sized, antler fungus. It occurs in Europe, Japan, Australia, North America, and South America. In the United States it occurs from Maine to Georgia, west to Minnesota and eastern Texas, with an isolated population in western California. It is found in summer and fall. It grows on the ground, alone or in groups, in woodland litter, often in moss, always under hardwoods. It obtains it nutrients from decaying organic matter (saprobic). The fruiting body is a purple to pinkish-purple, ¾″ to 4″ (2 to 10 cm) tall, up to 2¾″ (7 cm) wide clump of branched stalks growing from a short common base. Each stalk is erect or ascending and dichotomously branched (forked) one to a few times. They are typically forked once very near the ground, once very near the tip, and one or more times between. The branches are fragile and 1⁄16″to ¼ (2 to 6 mm) thick. The ultimate branch tips are rounded. The surface is smooth and dry. Like other coral fungi, the spore surface is the outside surface of the fruiting body. The flesh is purplish and thin. It is edible in small quantities and has a radish-like taste, but it may have a laxative effect. The spore print is white.

	Similar Species
	Purple Spindles (Alloclavaria purpurea) stalks are dull purple and unbranched. It grows under spruce and fir trees.


	Habitat and Hosts
	Under hardwoods


	Ecology
	Season
	Summer and fall


	Taxonomy
	Kingdom	Fungi (fungi)
	Subkingdom	Dikarya
	Division	Basidiomycota (club fungi)
	Subdivision	Agaricomycotina (jelly fungi, yeasts, and mushrooms)
	Class	Agaricomycetes (mushrooms, bracket fungi, puffballs, and allies)
	Subclass	Agaricomycetidae
	Order	Agaricales (common gilled mushrooms and allies)
	Suborder	Clavariineae
	Family	Clavariaceae (antler and spindle fungi)
	Genus	Clavaria

	Synonyms
	Clavaria lavandula

	Common Names
	Magenta Coral Fungus Purplish Clavaria Violet Coral Fungus

Glossary

Saprobic

A term often used for saprotrophic fungi. Referring to fungi that obtain their nutrients from decayed organic matter.


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	Luciearl





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	Coral Fungi: Clavulinopsis aurantio-cinnabarina, Clavaria zollingeri and more! Nature at Your Door Frank Taylor

	About Sep 24, 2021 Take a walk with me in the Appalachian Forest and see an amazing variety of Coral Fungi! From yellow: Clavulinopsis fusiformis, to orange: Clavulinopsis aurantio-cinnabarina, to white and the amazing purple: Clavaria zollingeri! We will encounter other species as well and a non-fungus, but often misunderstood, chlorophyll-less true flowering plant: Ghost pipe or Corpse flower.

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Luciearl 8/29/2022	Location: Fairview Twp. Cass Co.



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Violet Coral Fungus