Ramaria Araiospora

Day 357: Unique to the Pacific Northwest, the Himalaya and for reasons obscure to science, Kansas, Ramaria araiospora is the most spectacular of all the Coral fungi. The holotype (the specimen from which the species was described botanically) was collected in 1967 from a location only a few miles from my home. I feel a little proprietary about this lovely fungus, and consequently get a little testy when someone asks, "Is it edible?" The answer is yes, but I'll sidestep the question whenever possible and might even respond with, "Why would you want to destroy something so beautiful?" I do not understand the human compulsion to taste everything. Surely that instinct should have been deemed unnecessary to our genome by the time Ugg and Ogg left their cave. By then, Homo sap had discovered its vulnerability to poisons and was having no particular difficulty surviving on Nature's provender, and some members of the species were even beginning to develop a sense of aesthetics, painting the walls of their shelters with images of animals and geometric designs. The feast Ramaria araiospora provides the eye is one which nourishes our need for beauty. Its caloric value is negligible when placed on the table. To me at least, the choice between its two merits is clear.

The Ramaria Report

Day 355: After my prime specimen of Ramaria araiospora fell to a vicious predator of the two-legged sort (and I am not talking about Sasquatch), I went on a serious hunt for another example of this uncommon coral fungus. I found not one, but two, and their location will remain my secret. Several years ago, I found my first araiospora in full glory not far from the edge of a popular trail. I cannot say how or when it disappeared, but after I tracked its development through two or three autumn seasons, documenting it in photos, it ceased appearing in its customary niche beside a small drainage. I can only hope that these two will go undiscovered.

Ramaria Araiospora

Day 334: Ramaria araiospora could easily be dubbed the "stoplight of the forest" because its striking orange-red coloration will definitely pull you up short if you spot it during a hike. Also known by the uninspired common name of Red Coral, the holotype (i.e., the specimen from which the species was described scientifically) was collected near Elbe in 1967. The color fades to pinkish as the fungus matures, although I have seen many large specimens which were quite vivid. Something of a local phenomenon, watch for its emergence in the Longmire area after the first autumn rains.

Freaky Fungus Foray

Day 361: As I walked out the door for my lunch break yesterday, I announced to selected colleagues that I was going on a Freaky Fungus Foray with the specific goal of seeing if Ramaria araiospora rubella had popped up under the encouragement of recent rains. This brilliant red version of Coral is uncommon, and the holotype (the specimen from which the species description was derived) was taken two miles south of Elbe, not far from Mount Rainier National Park. I have found it in only one location in the Park, and after first discovering it several years ago, I did not see it again until last year. On yesterday's walk, I was rewarded with two emerging specimens, each about three inches on the longest dimension, found in the same drainage where I had seen it previously. I patrolled further up the drainage, but found no other examples.