Day 12: Certainly the most colourful of the coral fungi, Ramaria araiospora fades from red to pink with age. However, if you're lucky enough to find one when it first emerges, you'll squeal your Vibram brakes and come to a full stop in the forest. It occurs in very few places outside the Pacific Northwest, but in startlingly different ecologies such as those in Kansas and Mexico. Like the related R. acrisiccescens (see my post from October 22), the holotype specimen was collected within a few miles of my home. As the fungus matures, the tips will branch up to six times and may achieve the size of a large grapefruit. It also has the misfortune of being considered edible, and for that reason, I will not divulge its location to protect it from collectors whose only thoughts are for the cooking kettle, irrespective of its beauty and rarity.
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