About this fungus
Pinewood Gingertail is a fungus in the Mycenaceae family. Its habitat and field characteristics are summarised below.
A tiny orange to yellow-brown mushroom that can cover conifer stumps and logs in dense clusters. Caps begin bell-shaped and commonly develop a deep central hollow.
What to check
Look for widely spaced pale yellow to orange gills running down the stem, with clear cross-veins between them. The slender stem is darker below and has tawny-orange hairs at its base. Dense tufting directly on decaying conifer wood is an important field clue. There is no ring or volva.
Lookalikes
Xeromphalina kauffmanii is extremely similar but grows on broadleaved wood; microscopic spore characters may be needed for certainty. Other small orange wood-growing mushrooms can share the general colour, so substrate, cross-veined decurrent gills and the hairy stem base should be checked together.
Habitat and range
Saprotrophic on decaying conifer logs, stumps and buried woody debris, often among moss. It occurs widely across northern temperate and boreal regions and may fruit in very large colonies.
Food safety
Inedible.
Photographs
Christian / CC BY-SA 3.0