Specimen 7: Sparassis radicata

Figure 1: Large fruiting body of S. radicata on the body of the log. It is distinctive for its many fleshy branches with flatten ends.

Name: Sparassis radicata
Phylum: Basidomycota
Family: Sparassidaceae
Common Name: Cauliflower Fungus
Collection Date: September 17, 2015
Habitat: Growing on the side of a fallen tree in the woods, close to the ground.
Location: South Chagrin Reservation, Chagrin Falls, Ohio
Description: Large fruiting body (nearly a foot tall). Very fleshly, rubbery, moist, and white with many ruffled, flat branches.
Collector: Linden Glaze

Key used: Miller Jr., Orson K. Mushrooms of North America. Chanticleer Press, New York.

Keying Steps:

Key to Coral Fungus (pg. 233)
1. b. Multiple branched fruiting body.... 5
5. b. Coarse branches, blunt or flattened.... 6
6. a. Coarse branches with flattened broad ends.... Sparassis radicata