365 Urban Species. #181: Dead Man's Fingers

[urbpan]

Photo by cottonmanifesto. Location: Olmsted park, Boston.

Urban species #181: Dead man's fingers Xylaria polymorpha

I've said it before, but the diversity of fungi is really something to behold. And as more research is done, and more molecular information is obtained, more diversity reveals itself. Dead man's fingers, a species of wood-digesting fungus that produces a variety of different dull-colored club-like fruiting bodies, is most likely not a single species. Future naturalists and field guides will differentiate narrower fingers and wider fingers, and between fruiting bodies that are grayer, greener, or blacker than others. Or perhaps the separate species may be divided by more esoteric or hard to notice features. For now, what we call Xylaria polymorpha is a complex of related fungi, grouped under a single name. The fruiting bodies appear on dead wood in late spring, persisting into the fall, very slowly and gradually releasing spores. The fungus grows on hard woods such as maple and beech, usually at ground level. Sometimes the fruiting bodies grow from buried wood, making it appear as if they are coming directly from the soil.



Photo by urbpan. Location: Ringer park, Allston.