Aphelaria dendroides

One version of a Coral Fungus. This was growing amongst leaf litter on the floor of the Pureora Forest, but is fairly common. It is often in an irregular clump and this very regular form, like a small hedge-hog, (but with 4-tipped spines) is less usual.

(3D photography by John Wattie)

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Link to Landcare

Clive Shirley (and I following him) had this as Apheleria dendroides but he has changed it to Scytinopogon pallescens, with the proviso even that may not be right! His image is of a white fungus, not this apricot colour, but colour is not considered a reliable criterion. His spines do not seem to have 4 spikes. How difficult identification is, even with a microscope and keys.

Current Name: Aphelaria dendroides (Jungh.) Corner, Ann. Bot. Mem. 1: 182 (1950)

Synonymy:

Clavaria dendroides Jungh., Praemissa in floram cryptogamicam Javae insulae (Batavia): 33 (1838)

Clavaria lurida Kalchbr., Proc. Linn. Soc. N. S. W. (1882)

Clavaria ornithopoda Massee, Bull. Misc. Inf., Kew: 54 (1901) Lachnocladium dendroides (Jungh.) Sacc. & P. Syd., Syll. fung. (Abellini) 16: 213 (1902)

Lachnocladium kurzii Berk. ex Cooke, in Cooke, Grevillea 20(no. 93): 11 (1891)

Merisma dendroides (Jungh.) Lév., Annls Sci. Nat., Bot., sér. 3 5: 157 (1846)

Pterula dendroides (Jungh.) Fr., Nova Acta R. Soc. Scient. upsal. 1: 117 (1851)

Thelephora bidentata Pat., Annales du Jardin Botanique de Buitenzorg, suppl. Suppl. 1: 115 (1897)

Thelephora dendroides (Jungh.) Lév., Annls Sci. Nat., Bot., sér. 2: 209 (1844)

Tremellodendropsis lurida (Kalchbr.) R.H. Petersen, Mycotaxon 29: 63 (1987)