Dead man's fingers
Xylaria polymorpha · 多形炭角菌
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
- Black and club-shaped, poking from the ground like fingers
- Surface rough; flesh white inside
- Clusters on rotten wood buried in soil
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
- 3–8 cm (overall size)
- Encounter Rate
- Common
- Habitat
- Base of hardwood stumps
Easily Confused With
Candlesnuff fungusStem black, flattened, and slender, tip dusted white like a candle wickFun Fact
A cluster of blackened, swollen finger-like stalks pokes up from the soil beside a stump, hence the name; its woody flesh is tough enough to survive a whole winter.
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