Examples of Candle-snuff Fungus can be seen all-the-year-round decorating tree stumps and other dead wood - usually that of broad-leaved trees but occasionally conifers, too. It is common and widespread in the New Forest and also in much of Britain.
Also known as Stag's Horn - the erect, club-shaped body takes on flattened, antler-like shapes - its upper branches are initially white but eventually become tipped with black. The lower stalk is black and a little hairy, whilst the mid-section is grey.
A relatively tiny yet distinctive fungus that rarely achieves a height of more than 6 centimetres, the Candle-snuff Fungus can be seen growing in small clumps and also frequently in larger groups.
This stout, rubbery fungus is inedible. Its resemblance to a snuffed candle wick is perhaps fanciful.
Warning: refer to a good, comprehensive fungus field guide to confirm identification, and only eat those species known without any doubt whatsoever to be edible - people have died after eating certain poisonous specimens.
References:
Mushrooms and other Fungi of Great Britain and Europe - Roger Phillips
The Mushrooms and Toadstools of Britain and North-western Europe - Marcel Bon
Fungi of Britain and Europe - Stefan Buczacki and John Wilkinson
The MacDonald Encyclopedia of Mushrooms and Toadstools - Giovanni Pacioni
Fungi of the New Forest: A Mycota - Edited by Gordon Dickson and Ann Leonard
A Passion for Mushrooms - Antonio Carluccio
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