Club & Coral Fungi Simple upright forms — clubs, fingers, and branching coral shapes
Club and coral fungi share a simple body plan: upright, unbranched clubs or repeatedly branching, coral-like structures. No cap, no gills, no pores — the spore-producing surface covers the entire outer surface of the fruitbody. The group spans multiple lineages that arrived at similar forms independently.
These are common forest fungi in the Pacific Northwest, though many are small and easily overlooked. The candy club is one of the few that draws foragers’ attention — it’s edible and distinctly sweet. Most clubs and corals are too small, tough, or bland to eat. A few (Xylaria, Tolypocladium) are functionally and ecologically fascinating even if not culinarily interesting.
Scout Old-Growth Conifer Habitat
Club and coral fungi are most diverse in mature conifer forests. Use forest type layers and public land overlays on Forayz to locate old-growth and mature stands. Environmental layers are free for all users.
Notable PNW Species
Candy Club — Clavariadelphus truncatus
The largest and most recognizable club fungus. 2–15 cm tall, 2–8 cm across at the top, club-shaped with a broad, flattened to rounded top. Surface wrinkled and ridged, bright orange-yellow to ochre. The flesh is distinctive: saccharin sweet — an unusual trait among fungi. KOH turns the exterior bright red. Found scattered in duff and moss under conifers, fruiting in fall. Edible and worth trying in moderation, though some people report stomach upset from large amounts.
Strap-Shaped Club — Clavariadelphus ligula
Small, 3–8 cm tall, slender, club-shaped to strap-shaped, smooth to slightly wrinkled. Pale ochre to buff. Grows in troops in conifer duff. Edible but bland and fibrous — not worth collecting for the table.
Clustered Club — Clavariadelphus caespitosus
Similar to C. ligula but growing in dense clusters from a shared base. Small, slender clubs, pale ochre. Found in conifer forest duff. Edible.
Purple Club Coral — Alloclavaria purpurea group
Slender, unbranched clubs 3–10 cm tall, growing in dense clusters. Distinctive lilac to purple color. Found in mossy ground under conifers. A striking find. Edibility not documented.
Crested Coral — Clavulina coralloides
Repeatedly branching, 3–8 cm tall, forming dense coral-like clusters. White to pale gray, often tipped with fine crests. Found on the ground under conifers. Very common. Edibility not well documented.
Golden Spindles — Clavulinopsis laeticolor
Small (2–6 cm), bright golden-yellow, unbranched or sparsely branched spindles growing in small clusters in mossy grass and duff. Bright and conspicuous. Edibility not documented.
Dead Man’s Fingers — Xylaria hypoxylon
Club-shaped to antler-shaped, 3–7 cm tall, black with white powdery tips when young. Hard and woody. Grows on dead hardwood stumps and roots. Common year-round. One of the few ascomycete “clubs.” Edibility unknown, likely inedible due to texture.
Goldenthread Cordyceps — Tolypocladium ophioglossoides
Small (2–5 cm), dark, club-shaped fruitbody growing from a thin golden mycelial cord that leads underground to an Elaphomyces truffle (deer truffle) — it’s parasitizing another fungus. An ascomycete. Found in conifer forest duff. An ecologically fascinating parasite-on-a-parasite. Not edible.
Yellow Staghorn — Calocera viscosa
Bright yellow-orange, repeatedly branching, 3–8 cm tall — looks exactly like a coral fungus but is actually a jelly fungus (rubbery rather than brittle). Found on conifer stumps and buried roots. Common. Distinguished from true corals by the gelatinous texture. Not edible. (See also: Jelly Mushrooms page.)
Club or Coral? Texture Tells
True coral fungi (Ramaria, Clavulina, Clavariadelphus) are brittle and fleshy — snap a branch and it breaks cleanly. Jelly “corals” like Calocera viscosa are rubbery and elastic — bend a branch and it springs back. This texture test is the fastest way to tell them apart in the field.
Habitat & Season
Club and coral fungi are predominantly forest species. Clavariadelphus, Alloclavaria, and Clavulina grow on the ground in conifer duff and moss. Xylaria grows on dead hardwood. Tolypocladium parasitizes underground truffles in conifer forests. Calocera grows on conifer wood. Most fruit in fall, with Xylaria persisting year-round. The highest diversity is in mature, moist conifer forests with deep duff layers.
Track Fall Fruiting Conditions
Clubs and corals fruit with the fall rains. Use 14-day precipitation and soil moisture layers on Forayz to time your fall forays. Environmental layers are free for all users.