The Yellow Stag's Horn Fungus, essentially a woodland dweller, growing on the rotted stumps of coniferous trees, is relatively widespread in the New Forest. The common name clearly derives from its likeness to the branched antlers of a red deer stag.
Present from late summer to early winter, Yellow Stag's Horn branches are said to sometimes reach a height of 10 centimetres, but the majority are considerably shorter.
It is not edible.
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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