The candlesnuff fungus forms slender, often antler-like branched stromata on rotting broadleaf wood. The tips are white with powdery asexual spores (conidia) for much of the year, and the whole stroma turns black as the sexual spores mature. It is a common wood-decay saprobe.
Not poisonous, but too small and tough to eat; considered inedible.
Never eat a wild mushroom based on a web page — confirm with an expert.
Mycology is an evolving science: names, classifications and safety information change as research advances. Entries are compiled from cited sources and reviewed, but may be incomplete or out of date — check the sources, and never rely on this library alone to identify or eat a mushroom.
Habitat
Help build this page
This page grows with the community. Here is what it is still missing:
Photos. None yet — moderators review each photo before it appears.Sign in to add a photo
Sightings. Spotted it in the wild? Add it to the map.Open the map
Strains. No public strains of this species on WeMush yet.
Track Your Own Candlesnuff Fungus, Carbon Antlers, Stag's Horn Grows
Join WeMush to log cultivation data, discover strains, and connect with fellow growers.
In clusters on fallen branches, stumps and other decaying wood of broadleaf trees, occasionally on pine stumps. Present year-round; spores mature in autumn and early winter. It can cause root rot in hawthorn and gooseberry.
Distribution
Very common in Britain and Ireland and throughout mainland Europe; found in many parts of North America.
Characteristics
Stroma: Erect, 3-8 cm tall, 2-8 mm thick; cylindrical or flattened, often twisted, simple or branched like antlers; black and finely downy at the base, white and powdery with conidia toward the tips, black overall when mature, with tiny pimple-like perithecia. Flesh: White, tough, elastic. Spores: Ascospores 10-15 x 4-6 µm, kidney- or bean-shaped, black, smooth.
