Ramaria araiospora

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***Ramaria araiospora***, commonly known as the **red coral**, is a coral mushroom in the family Gomphaceae. First described in 1974, it is found in North America, and the Himalaya. An edible species, it is sold in local markets in Mexico.

## Taxonomy

The species was first described scientifically by mycologists Currie Marr and Daniel Stuntz in their 1974 monograph, "*Ramaria* of western Washington". The holotype was collected in 1967 in Pierce County, Washington. Marr and Stuntz also published the variety *rubella*, which was originally collected in 1967 about Template:Convert south of Elbe, Washington. *Ramaria araiospora* is classified in the subgenus *Laeticolora* of *Ramaria*. The mushroom is commonly known as the "red coral".

## Description

 File:Ramaria araiospora 147.jpg
The fruit bodies of *Ramaria araiospora* typically measure Template:Convert tall by Template:Convert wide. There is a single, somewhat bulbous stipe measuring Template:Convert long by Template:Convert thick, which is branched up to six times. The branches are slender, usually about Template:Convert in diameter, while branches near the base are thicker, up to Template:Convert thick. The terminal branches are forked or finely divided into sharp tips. The context is fleshy to fibrous in young specimens, but becomes brittle when dried. The branches are red initially, fading to a lighter red in maturity, while the base, including the stipe, is white to yellowish-white. Branch tips are yellow. When dried, fruit bodies become yellowish white in the base and dull red in the branches. The fruit bodies have no distinctive taste or odor.

In deposit, the spores are white, cream, or yellowish. They are somewhat cylindrical, ornamented with lobed warts, and measure 9.9 by 3.7 μm. The basidia (spore-bearing cells) are club-shaped, one- to four-spored (although four spores is most typical), and have dimensions of 43–75 by 7–12 μm. The variety *rubella* differs from the main type in having slightly more "bluish or crimson" branches in mature specimens, and slightly smaller basidia that measure 30–70 by 6–10 μm.

### Edibility

*Ramaria araiospora* fruit bodies are edible. In the Villa del Carbón municipality of Mexico, where they are known locally as *patitas de pájaro* ("bird's legs"), *patitas temblonas* ("trembling legs"), or *patitas rojas* ("red legs"), the fungi are favored for their fleshy consistency, mild flavor, and abundance. They are usually sold in lots averaging Template:Convert (containing about 15 fruit bodies), at a price between $10 and 20 USD.

## Habitat and distribution

Although it is not known with certainty, the species is probably mycorrhizal. Fruit bodies grow on the ground singly or scattered, under conifers, especially western hemlock, and deciduous trees, particularly tanoak. Fruiting usually occurs in September and November. The species is primarily known from the Pacific Northwest region of North America, although it (or a very similar, undescribed species) has been reported from Kansas. Variety *rubella* has been collected in the eastern Himalaya and Mexico.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `Marr 1974`
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `Arora 1986`
3. ↑ Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `Aguilar-Cruz 2010`
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `urlMushroomExpert`
5. ↑ Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `urlRogers`
6. ↑ Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `Thind 1985`
7. ↑ Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `Pérez-Ramirez 1986`

## External links

* Template:IndexFungorum

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