Artomyces pyxidatus is a wood-inhabiting coral fungus. Its repeatedly branched, candelabra-like fruit body has branch tips each crowned by a shallow cup ringed with 3-6 points. Unlike most coral fungi it grows directly on dead hardwood, especially aspen, willow, maple and tulip tree. DNA studies place it in Auriscalpiaceae (Russulales), near Auriscalpium and Lentinellus.
Edible; cooking is recommended, and it is usually found only in small quantities. The raw taste can be peppery. Check the crown-shaped tips and growth on wood. Some terrestrial coral fungi (Ramaria) cause gastrointestinal upset, and Ramaria stricta, which also grows on wood, lacks the crown tips.
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Habitat
Saprobic on dead hardwood logs and stumps, especially aspens, willows, maples and tulip trees; alone or in groups. Spring through fall.
Distribution
Widespread in eastern North America, the Rocky Mountains and Mexico, and in northern Canada; absent or rare on the West Coast, where A. piperatus occurs. Widespread but uncommon in western Europe (rare in Britain); also recorded from China and Russia.
Characteristics
Fruit body: 4-13 cm high and 2-10 cm wide, repeatedly branched; branches 1-5 mm thick, whitish to pale yellowish, darkening to pale tan or pinkish; tips crowned with a shallow depression and 3-6 points, often turning brownish. Base: 1-3 cm long, under 1 cm thick. Flesh: whitish, tough and pliable. Taste: mild to peppery-acrid. Spore print: white. Spores: 4-5 x 2-3 um, elliptical, minutely pitted, amyloid.
