Xylaria polymorpha
Figure 1- Xylaria polymorpha at the James H. Barrow Field Station in Portage County, Ohio
Photo by Rene Chelune
Classification
Order- Sphaeriales
Family- Xylariaceae
Species Description
Xylaria polymorpha is an ascomycete fungus which favors decaying wood as a substrate. Its fruiting body typically stands from 2-8 cm in height with a thickness of .5-3 cm in diameter and its shape is clublike and irregular, with a blunt or occasionally lobed tip tapering to a short cylindrical sterile stalk at the base. The outer surface of the ascocarp is a hard, blackened crust which is rough and wrinkled. Young specimens may be covered with a white or greyish powder and very young infertile specimens are white to buff in hue, blackening as they mature. The flesh of the interior is white and densely packed with perithecia. Spores are smooth, spindle-shaped, and black. Asexual conidia, when present are elongated, elliptical, smooth, and hyaline.
Distinguishing Field Characteristics:
- Irregular thick clublike shape
- Hard black carbonaceous outer crust when mature
- Interior flesh corky and pale to white
Similar Species:
Xylaria longipes
Geoglossum
X. longipes is very similar in appearance but is consistently slimmer and more elongated in shape. Species of the Geoglossum genus tend to be even slimmer still and lack the pale white interior of X. polymorpha.
Habitat:
X. polymorpha grows on logs and hardwood stumps, but may initially appear terrestrial if the wood is buried. In eastern North America, it particularly favors maple and beech. It is widely distributed and common throughout the United States.
Phenology:
The fruiting bodies of X. polymorpha initially appear in spring and blacken to their mature stage by late summer. Mature specimens can persist for months before decaying and if the ground remains exposed, it is possible to observe them year round.
Glossary
Literature Cited
Rene Chelune
rcheln at yahoo.com
last updated 2 July 2008
