Poison fire coral
Trichoderma cornu-damae · 火焰茸
Rare肉座菌科☠️ Deadly Poisonous
Reference sources describe this as highly toxic, with recorded fatalities.
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
- Bright red to orange-red, finger- or antler-like branches
- Emerges from the ground or rotten wood, hard in texture
- Found in Japan, Korea, and southern China; even contact can cause skin irritation
ID notes are compiled by AI from public sources, not reviewed by a mycologist, for learning only — never a basis for foraging.
Basics
- Family
- 肉座菌科
- Hymenium
- Smooth
- Grows On
- Wood
- How Big
- 3–12 cm (overall size)
- Encounter Rate
- Rare
- Habitat
- Buried hardwood roots and rotting wood
Easily Confused With
Yellow stagshornYellow stagshorn is orange-yellow, soft and gelatinous; poison fire coral is bright red and firm.
Scarlet caterpillar clubScarlet caterpillar club is an orange club rising from an insect body, with a granular tip; poison fire coral rises from soil or rotting wood, antler-like.Fun Fact
It contains trichothecene toxins and is one of the rare fungi reported to cause skin reactions from mere contact; accidental ingestion carries a high death rate.