Candlesnuff fungus
Xylaria hypoxylon · 鹿角炭角菌
Common炭角菌科❓ Inedible
Non-toxic, but woody or intensely bitter in texture — not eaten as food.
The same species can be described differently across regions and stages of maturity, and countless look-alike species cannot be told apart by eye. Never use the information on this page to judge whether a real mushroom is safe to eat.
How to Tell
- Stem black, flattened, and slender, tip dusted white like a candle wick
- Upper part often forks antler-like, tough in texture
- Grows on rotten wood and stumps, visible year-round
ID notes are compiled by AI from public sources, not reviewed by a mycologist, for learning only — never a basis for foraging.
Basics
- Family
- 炭角菌科
- Hymenium
- Smooth
- Grows On
- Wood
- How Big
- 2–6 cm (overall size)
- Encounter Rate
- Common
- Habitat
- Rotting stumps
Easily Confused With
Dead man's fingersBlack and club-shaped, poking from the ground like fingersFun Fact
Its tips are dusted with white conidial powder, resembling a spent candlewick; its mycelium gives off an extremely faint glow in the dark.
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