CORAL FUNGI. 



201 



CLAVARIA Vaill. 



The genus Clavaria is one of the most common ones in the family, 

 and is one of the most attractive from the variety and beauty of sev- 

 eral of the species. All of the plants are more or less erect, and at 

 least stand out from the substratum on which they grow. They are 

 either long and simple and more or less club-shaped, as the name 

 implies, or they are branched, some but a few times, while others are 

 very profusely branched. The plants vary in color, some are white, 

 some yellow, some red, and some are red-tipped, while others are 

 brownish in color. 



Clavaria formosa Pers. Edible. This is one of the handsomest of 

 the genus. It is found in different parts of the world, and has been 

 collected in New England and in the Carolinas in this country. It is 

 usually from 15-20 cm. high, and because of the great number of 

 branches is often broader in extent. There is a stout stem from 2-4 



Figure 202. Clavaria botrytes. Branches red tipped (natural size). 



cm. in diameter, deep in the ground. This branches into a few stout 

 trunks, which then rapidly branch into slender and longer branches, 



