Dead man's fingers mushroom: description, photo

Mushroom Dead Man's Fingers: Where Does It Grow?

In most cases, dead man's fingers grow on logs or decaying stumps of deciduous trees. Most often they are closer to the roots, but sometimes they are actually from the ground, although in reality we are talking about areas of soil around the trunk abundantly fertilized with dead wood.

Usually the mushroom grows in a group, but it can grow singly. Promotes wood decay. It is found almost anywhere in the world, preferring distribution zones:

• elms;
• beeches;
• oak trees.

Sometimes they grow on coniferous trees. Prefers dead trees, but can sometimes grow on living trees, provided they are damaged or weakened. On the territory of Russia, they are found throughout the forest zone, from May to the end of November.

Xerula root (Xerula radicata)

• Other names for the mushroom:
• Udemanciella root
• Root money
• Collibia tailed

Synonyms:

The current name is Hymenopellis radicata (according to Species Fungorum).

Xerula root attracts attention immediately, it is able to surprise with its appearance and represents a very special look. Hat: 2-8 cm in diameter

But, due to the very high leg, it seems that the cap is much smaller. At a young age, it has the shape of a hemisphere, in the process of maturation it gradually opens up and becomes practically prostrate, while maintaining a noticeable tubercle in the center. The surface of the cap is moderately mucous with pronounced radial wrinkles. Changeable color, from olive, greyish brown to dirty yellow

Hat: 2-8 cm in diameter. But, due to the very high leg, it seems that the hat is much smaller. At a young age, it has the shape of a hemisphere, in the process of maturation it gradually opens up and becomes practically prostrate, while maintaining a noticeable tubercle in the center. The surface of the cap is moderately mucous with pronounced radial wrinkles. The color is changeable, from olive, greyish-brown to dirty yellow.

Pulp: light, thin, watery, without any special taste or smell.

Plates: moderately sparse, adhered in places in youth, then become free. The color of the plates as the mushroom matures ranges from white to grayish-cream.

Spore powder: white

Leg: up to 20 cm in length, 0.5-1 cm thick. The leg is deep, almost 15 cm immersed in the soil, often twisted, has a specific rhizome. The color of the stem ranges from brown at the bottom to almost white at the base. The pulp of the leg is fibrous.

Distribution: Xerula root occurs from mid to late July. Sometimes it comes across until the end of September in various forests. Prefers tree roots and heavily decayed wood remains. Due to the long stem, the mushroom forms deep underground and only partially crawls out to the surface.

Similarity: The appearance of the fungus is rather unusual, and the characteristic rhizome process does not allow Oudemansiella radicata to be mistaken for any other species. Udemansiella root is easy to identify due to its lean structure, tall growth and powerful root system. It looks like a long-legged Xerula, but the latter has a velvety hat, has pubescence.

Edible: In principle, the Xerula root mushroom is considered edible. Some sources claim that the mushroom contains some medicinal substances. This mushroom can be safely eaten.

Notes: Xerula root is located at some distance from other types of mushrooms. It is easy to recognize at first glance: a very long leg and a short hat give the impression that nails are coming out of the ground, hammered by someone unknown, it is difficult to call it even a mushroom.

Xylaria multiforme (Xylaria polymorpha)

Dead man's fingers

This strange mushroom, often called "Dead Man's Fingers", can be found from spring to late autumn, as it develops very slowly. Young - pale, bluish, often with a whitish tip. Its pale outer cover is asexual spores, conidia, appearing at an early stage of development. By summer, however, the mushroom begins to turn black, and by the end of summer or fall, it is completely black and dried out. Somewhere in the middle of this transformation process, Xilaria multifaceted really looks like "dead man's fingers" eerily sticking out of the ground. However, in the final stages, most likely, it looks like a "present" left by a domestic cat.

Xylaria polymorpha is the most common of the larger Xylaria species, but the species name, Dead Man's Fingers, is often used broadly to encompass several species that are microscopically differentiated.

Description

Ecology: saprophyte on decaying deciduous stumps and logs, as a rule, at the base of a tree or very close, but sometimes it can grow as if from the ground - in fact, there are always buried remains of wood there, in the ground. It can grow singly, but is more common in clusters. Causes soft wood rot.

Fruit body: 3-10 cm in height and up to 2.5 cm in diameter. Hard, dense. More or less like a club or a finger, but sometimes flattened, it can be branched. Usually with a rounded tip. In youth it is covered with a pale bluish, gray-bluish, or purple dust of conidia (asexual spores), with the exception of the whitish tip, but as it matures it becomes blackish with a pale tip and eventually completely black, absolutely. The surface becomes thinly dried and wrinkled, a hole forms in the upper part through which ripe spores are thrown out.

Flesh: white, whitish, very tough.

Microscopic characteristics: spores 20-31 x 5-10 µm smooth, fusiform; with straight embryonic fissures extending from 1/2 to 2/3 of the spore length.

Season and distribution

Widespread throughout the planet. Usually it grows in groups, prefers to live on rotten wood and stumps of deciduous trees, favors oaks, beeches, elms, can grow on conifers. Sometimes found on the trunks of weakened and damaged living trees. From spring to frost, ripe fruit bodies do not disintegrate for a long time.

Other information about the mushroom

Possesses medicinal properties. In folk medicine in some countries it is used as a diuretic and as a drug to increase lactation.

Mushroom photo Diverse xilaria

from questions in recognition:

In nature, there are mushrooms that look like the hand of a dead person. For example - Xilaria multifaceted, also known as dead man's fingers. But let's not meet her “by her clothes”. In fact, the fruiting body has a medicinal effect, it contains useful substances.

Xilaria Hypoxilon: description and photo

There are mushrooms of rather unusual and bizarre shapes that resemble various objects. Xylaria Hypoxilon is a fruiting body belonging to the Xylariaceae family, Xylaria genus, Xylaria Hypoxylon species.

What do xilariae hypoxilon look like?

The shape of this ascocarp resembles deer antlers, and from a distance the mushrooms look like coral polyps. They consist of several cylinders emerging from under the rotten leaves in one heap. As they grow, the fruiting bodies flatten, curl and bend. The flesh of the body is firm and thin.They are black at the base, dark gray above. It is not for nothing that the British call it "soot on a candle." Old xilariae take on a charcoal color. The surface is velvety in the lower part, with short hairs.

The height of the Xilaria Hypoxilon reaches 8 cm. The width reaches 8 mm. These are marsupial mushrooms: gray or dull white ascospores are scattered all over the body, similar to buds or cones (perithecia). Under the microscope, cylindrical bags with a high stem can be distinguished. They have small holes from where mature spores are released.

Where do xilariae hypoxilon grow

These mushrooms grow in deciduous, less often coniferous forests on rotten foliage or old stumps. On the territory of our country, they can be seen in the northern part.

But they are common not only in the northern hemisphere: they are also found in Cuba, and even in Australia. Sometimes mushroom pickers come across small groups of "deer antlers". But this is not common: these are rare species of Xylaria. They ripen in the fall before the onset of winter. But they persist for a long time: even in spring, their dried and blackened bodies protrude from under the snow.

Is it possible to eat hypoxilone xilariae

The Xiliaria hypoxilon mushroom is considered inedible due to its small size, lack of a pleasant mushroom taste, and dry pulp. There is no information about the toxicity of these ascocarps.

Healing properties

Mushrooms can be used for the production of medicines, as their extracts have the following properties:

1. They have hemagglutinating effects, which makes it possible to use them for the diagnosis of various viral diseases.
2. Their antiproliferative properties can inhibit the growth of cancer cells.
3. They are able to stop the mutagenic effects of chemical radiation.

Conclusion

Xilaria Hypoxilon and its properties are not fully understood. Research on this fungus is ongoing. There are theories about the possibility of using its bioactive components for the treatment of cancer and immunodeficiency.

Similarities with other species

In nature, there is a twin of the diverse xilaria - long-legged xilaria. Both fungi are in the same row in the mycological systematization of species.

Outwardly, the views are almost the same. Mycologists note only one difference, which can be seen with the naked eye - the long-legged xilaria has more graceful fruits. But, since in a diverse variety, mushrooms do not have a clearly expressed form, it is not possible to identify the species.

It is possible to accurately recognize the species of xilaria only with the help of a microscope. In the long-legged variety, the spore size is much smaller - from 12 to 16 by 5-7 microns. While in xilariae of diverse spores reach from 20 to 32 by 5-9 microns.

There is another significant difference between the species. The fungi of long-legged xilaria have a beneficial effect on the wood on which they grow. And the polymorphic look, on the contrary, spoils the tree.

The healing properties of the devil's fingers and the harm of xilaria

Pharmacology is actively engaged in research on the composition of this species of fungi. To date, substances with medicinal properties have been identified - mannitol and polysaccharides.

Manitol is a natural diuretic. It can be used in the manufacture of diuretic drugs. And scientists studying HIV and oncology became interested in polysaccharide compounds of xilaria.

In folk medicine, fruits are used as a means to increase lactation.

Important! But representatives of traditional medicine strongly recommend refraining from taking medications based on little-studied mushrooms. The human body's response to xilaria is unpredictable, since no such studies have been conducted

It is especially dangerous to take unverified medications while breastfeeding.

If it is necessary to treat with xilaria, the patient must always consult with a homeopathic doctor. Only he can decide on the advisability of such therapy, establish the dosage and duration of treatment.

Xilaria is diverse - an amazing view. Unlike other mushrooms, which are characterized by insignificant variability, it is capable of dramatic changes in appearance. The polymorphic species has a twin - long-legged xilaria. Species can only be accurately identified under laboratory conditions. Traditional medicine does not deny the medicinal properties of xilaria, but recommends refraining from self-medication due to the small number of studies devoted to this type.

XILARIA HYPOXYLON

XYLARIA HYPOXYLON

System:

Kingdom: Mushrooms (Fungi)

Department: Marsupial mushrooms (Ascomycota)

Class: Sordariids (Sordariomycetes)

Order: Xylariales

Family: Xilariaceae (Xylariaceae)

Genus: Xylaria

Species: Xylaria hypoxylon (L.) Grev., 1824

Fruit body: Fruit body 1-8 cm high, upright, strong, small tuberous, often flattened, in the upper part with flat twigs resembling antlers or tree branches (first pointed, then forked or fan-shaped), similar to horns. The lower part is almost cylindrical, velvety at the base, black. When ripe, the upper branches turn ash gray from the plaque of spores. In late autumn, the entire mushroom turns coal black, and the tops of its branches wither. The pulp is thin, dry, tough, white.

The English popular name "soot on a candle" very well conveys the characteristic external features of this mushroom. Habitat: settles in forests and parks on deciduous wood, much less often on conifers, prefers stumps and dead trunks. Fruiting period: grows in small groups or bunches from September to the end of November (a mature fruiting body can be preserved throughout the next year). Distribution in the Russian Federation: the northern forest zone of Russia.

Edible: Inedible due to its harsh consistency and lack of taste.

Medicinal properties: various bioactive components have been isolated from the mushroom. Xilarials A and B showed cytotoxic activity against human liver carcinoma of the HepG2 line. Derivatives of pyrone, named xilaron and 8,9-dehydroxilaron, are also characterized by cytotoxicity. Contains lectins similar to those of Aspergillus oryzae or Aleuria aurantia, which allows the fungus extract to exhibit inhibitory effects on a variety of cancer cell lines, including M1 and HepG2. A hot aqueous polysaccharide extract obtained from dried fruit bodies of X. hypoxylon showed an 80% inhibition of the HIV virus.

Long-legged xilaria what it looks like, where it grows, edibility, how to distinguish it, photo

Long-legged xilaria: description and photo

The mushroom kingdom is diverse and in you can meet him amazing specimens. Long-legged xilaria is an original and frightening mushroom, it is not without reason that people call it "dead man's fingers". But there is nothing mystical about it: the unusual elongated shape and dark color with bright ends resemble a human hand sticking out of the ground.

How long-legged xilariae look

The second name of this species is polymorphic. The body does not have an obvious division into a leg and a cap. In height it reaches 8 cm, but in most cases it grows small - up to 3 cm. In diameter it does not exceed 2 cm, the body is formed narrow and elongated.

It has a clavate shape with a slight thickening at the top; it can be mistaken for a tree twig. Young specimens are light gray, with age, the color darkens and turns completely black. Small outgrowths on the ground are hard to see.

Over time, the surface of the fruiting body also changes. It scales and cracks. The spores are small, fusiform.

Allocate the next type of xilaria - varied. It is distinguished by the fact that several processes, hard to the touch and rough, resembling wood, depart simultaneously from one fruiting body. In the middle, the pulp is made of fibers and is covered with white paint. It is quite tough, so it is not eaten.

The young fruiting body is covered with asexual spores of purple, gray or light blue color. Only the whitish ends remain free from spores.

The upper part of the fruiting body is slightly brighter in adulthood. Long-legged xilaria may become covered with warts for some time. Small holes appear in the cap for ejection of spores.

Where long-legged xilariae grow

Refers to saprophytes, therefore it grows on stumps, logs, rotten deciduous trees, twigs. Representatives of this species are even more fond of fragments of maple and beech.

Long-legged xilariae grow in groups, but there are also single specimens. This type of fungus can cause gray rot in plants. In the domestic climate, it grows strongly from May to November. Occurs in forests, less often on forest edges.

The first descriptions of long-legged xilaria are found in the second half of the 1890s. Before that, there was a single mention of the fact that the parishioners of one English church in the cemetery revealed terrible mushrooms. They looked as if the fingers of the dead, black and coiled, were climbing out of the ground. Mushroom shoots were everywhere - on stumps, trees, the ground. A similar performance frightened people so much that they refused to enter the cemetery.

The churchyard was soon closed and abandoned. This view is easy to explain scientifically. Long-legged xilaria grows strongly on stumps, rotten and shabby wood. Can develop at the roots of deciduous trees. They are found all over the world. In some regions, the first long-legged xilariae appear early in the spring.

Is it possible to have long-legged xilariae

Long-legged xilaria is an inedible species. Even after prolonged cooking, the flesh is very tough and difficult to chew.

Mushrooms of this type do not stand out with any taste or smell. During cooking, they lure insects - this should be taken into account if there is a strong desire to conduct an experiment.

In classical medicine, a substance is isolated from the xilaria, which is used to create diuretics. Scientists are planning to use these fruiting bodies for the development of drugs for oncology.

Conclusion

Long-legged xilaria stands out with its original color and shape. At dusk, mushroom shoots can be mistaken for tree branches or gnarled fingers. This type is not toxic, but it is not used in food. In nature, these representatives of the mushroom kingdom perform a special function: they accelerate the decomposition of trees and stumps.

A bit of history

It is worth noting that the name Dead Man's Fingers is not rigidly assigned to any one type of mushroom, although this is most often called the Xylaria polymorpha mushroom. Sometimes this name is applied to other species of Xylaria. Many of them also bear a certain resemblance to the hand of a dead person.

It is interesting that, although this similarity was noticed a long time ago, but, oddly enough, the mushroom did not gain any witchcraft or witch fame, deserving only a frightening name. Perhaps this is due to the fact that, given the rigidity of the mushroom, no one wanted to experience its effect on themselves, limiting themselves to describing the external characteristics.

Other names for dead man's fingers mushroom

From a scientific point of view, the fingers of the dead are called Xylaria polymorpha - the xilaria is diverse. In addition, it is also called Xilaria polymorphic, as well as the following Latin names:

• Hypoxylon polymorphum;
• Sphaeria polymorpha;
• Xylosphaera polymorpha.

The fungus belongs to the Xilariaceae family, the Xilaria genus, the department of marsupial mushrooms and the class of sordariomycetes.

Dead Man's Fingers: Edible or Not?

You can often hear the question of whether this mushroom is poisonous, and whether it can be eaten. Despite its frightening appearance, this mushroom is completely non-poisonous and could have gotten on the table if not for its extremely tough pulp.

However, some gourmets claim that when properly cooked, the mushroom acquires some softness and an extraordinary fruity aroma. Others argue that as soon as the mushroom is subjected to heat treatment, all possible insects will immediately flock into the house, which should also be borne in mind if you decide to experiment with the dead man's fingers.

What mushrooms are like dead man's fingers?

Often the fingers of the dead are confused with the "Fingers of the Devil" (Anturus Archeri / Clathrus archeri). However, in this case, the confusion is more in the names than in appearance, since it is almost impossible to confuse these mushrooms in appearance.

Another thing is the various subspecies of the species Xylaria, for example, Xylaria longipes, which is really very similar to this mushroom, and differs only in a slightly greater elegance of fruit chalk. Only a very experienced mushroom picker who specializes in the fingers of a dead person can distinguish one species from another, and even then not always. In these cases, a microscope is required to detect the difference. However, given the inedibility of the dead man's fingers, the possible confusion can hardly be considered significant.

Chestnuts are edible and inedible how to distinguish

Edible chestnut and horse chestnut are completely different trees, despite the similarity in the name. The first belongs to the beech family, and the second belongs to the sapindaceae. Outwardly, the trees are not at all similar, so it is not difficult to distinguish them.

Edible species

It will be useful for everyone to know what chestnuts can be eaten. There are several types of food:

1. Gorodchaty (Japanese). The largest-fruited variety. Grows up to 15 meters. Nuts up to 6 cm in diameter and up to 80 gr. in the mass.
2. Sowing. Reaches 35 meters. Prefers a humid and warm subtropical climate. Propagated by seeds. It features a powerful root system that holds the crown well.
3. American (notched). Frost-resistant variety, easily tolerates prolonged cold weather down to -30⁰С.
4. Chinese (softest). The fruits are distinguished by excellent taste and are widely consumed in food. Wood is in demand in industrial production. The plant is afraid of drought, requires frequent watering.
5. Stunted. A tree up to 15 meters high. Refers to decorative forms.
6. Australian. An evergreen tree reaching a height of 15-30 meters.
7. Shogyu. Resistant to pathogenic fungi affecting chestnuts.
8. Henry. Distributed in the western and central regions of China. Reaches a height of 25-30 meters.

At the time of ripening, the maximum amount of nutrients is concentrated in the fruits of the edible chestnut. Once the chestnuts are completely brown, they are harvested and harvested for the winter. They are eaten ready-made and raw.