Ramaria stricta

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Ecology: Uncertain; while most ramarias are thought to be mycorrhizal, the wood-inhabiting species could be mycorrhizal or saprobic; growing from the dead (but sometimes buried) wood of conifers (and sometimes hardwoods); appearing alone, scattered, or gregariously; early summer through fall; apparently widely distributed in North America, but more common from the Rocky Mountains westward.

Fruiting Body: 4-14 cm high; 4-10 cm wide; base well developed or nearly absent; branching repeatedly.

Branches: Vertically oriented and elongated; often flattened; smooth; yellowish buff, becoming orangish buff as the spores mature; bruising and discoloring purplish brown; tips yellow when fresh and young.

Base: Nearly absent, or fairly well developed; to 2 cm wide; white below; colored like the branches above; attached to numerous white rhizomorphs.

Flesh: Whitish; fairly tough.

Odor and Taste: Odor not distinctive, or sweet and fragrant; taste bitter.

Spore Print: Rusty yellowish.

Chemical Reactions: Iron salts green on branches; KOH orangish to brownish on branches.

Microscopic Features: Spores 7.5-10.5 x 3.5-5 ; stretched-elliptical; roughened. Clamp connections present. Thick-walled hyphae present.

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