Ramaria rasilispora
Ramaria rasilispora, commonly known as the yellow coral, is a coral mushroom in the family Gomphaceae. Described as new to science in 1974, it is found in western North America south to Mexico and in the eastern Himalayas. It is edible for most people.
Taxonomy
The species was first described scientifically in 1974 by American mycologists Currie Marr and Daniel Stuntz. The specific epithet rasilispora is derived from the roots rasil- and spora. It is commonly known as the "yellow coral".Description
The fruit bodies are large and broad, measuring or more tall and wide. They originate from a single thick, conical stem measuring long and wide. The base can lead to several smooth branches, themselves branched twice or more. When young, the stipe and lower branches are whitish. The upper branches are yellow to apricot-yellow. The branch tips are initially yellow or the same color as the branch, but darken to brown in maturity. The primary branches are thick, from in diameter, while the upper branches are usually thick.The context is fleshy to fibrous, but when dry has a consistency similar to bendable chalk. The fruit bodies have no distinctive taste or odor. The spore print is orangish yellow to ochraceous. The spores are cylindrical, with a surface texture ranging from smooth to finely warted, and measure 8–11 by 3–4 μm. The basidia are club-shaped, two- to four-spored, and measure 47–60 by 8–10 μm.
The variety R. rasilispora var. scatesina differs from the main type in the color of its fruit bodies, which, in both young and mature specimens, have branches that range from yellowish-white to light yellow.