Minnesota Seasons - Dead Man's Fingers


dead man’s fingers
Xylaria polymorpha

Phylum	Ascomycota (Sac Fungi)
Class	Sordariomycetes
Subclass	Xylariomycetidae
Order	Xylariales
Family	Xylariaceae
Season	June to November
Habitat	Saprobic with hardwoods. Oak and pine forests, lawns.
Height	1″ to 4″

Identification	In the spring dead man’s fingers are pale, coated with spore dust, with a whitish tip. Later in the season they are dark brown and blackish, looking like something left by the neighbor’s cat. In the fall they are dried out and black. The surface is rough or minutely pimpled.

Sightings

Comments	The scientific name is actually a consolidation, called a species complex, of 5 to 10 species that cannot be easily distinguished from each other.

Images	Click on an image for a larger view.

	This appears to be growing on the ground, but is actually attached to an underground stump or root.


Synonyms


Common Names	dead man’s fingers