Terfezia arenaria (Moris) Trappe

Desert Mushroom, Moroccan Desert Truffle

Spores: 19–26 µm, whitish/ochreous, globose, warty. Fruit
Body: 3–15 cm, subglobose, smooth, unpolished, sometimes
cracked. Thin walled (20–50 µm diameter), yellowish in the
outermost layers, gleba solid, fleshy, succulent, whitish/pale
pink/grayish/reddish brown, inner fertile tissue separated by
sterile veins. Odor faint, taste mild.
Range: North Africa and Middle East. Ecology: Sandy
ground/grasslands/open stands of oak/pine/eucalyptus/Cistus/
rockrose. Season: Winter/spring.
Edibility: Choice. Medicinal: Antioxidant, antimicrobial.
Other: Famous fungus of antiquity. Called hydnon by the
Greeks, tuber by the Romans, and terfex in Islamic countries,
where it is still popular.

Trametes versicolor (L.) Lloyd

Turkey Tail, Many-Colored Polypore, Chinese: Yun Zhi, Japanese:
Kawaratake (Cloud Mushroom)
Spores: 4–6x1.5–2.5 µm, white/yellowish, cylindrical/sausage,
smooth. Stipe: Absent/rudimentary. Fruit Body: 2–10 cm
broad, 1–2 mm thick, bracket-like, thin, leathery when fresh,
rigid/slightly flexible dry, plane/wavy, dry, velvety, zoned with
bands of contrasting colors, hairy zones alternate with smooth N.29 – Trametes versicolor, a beautiful and medicinal gift of the woods.
ones, variable colors: white/gray/brown/yellowish/buff/blush/
reddish/dark brown/black, with a white margin. Flesh tough
and white. KOH negative/yellowish. Pores: 3–5/mm, white/
yellowish, visible. Tubes up to 2 mm, long and tough.
Range: Global, in boreal, temperate, subtropical, and tropical
regions. Ecology: Dead hardwoods/conifers. Growth
Habit: In groups/rows/shelving masses/clusters. Season:
Year-round.
Edibility: Best in soups, teas. Medicinal: Strong immune
stimulation. In Japan: common for chemo/cancer patients
(colorectal, small cell lung, leukemia, liver, gastric, nose and
throat, esophagus, melanoma, and stomach). Antitumor,
antibiotic, antiviral (HIV, HSV), antioxidant, antifungal,
vasodilating. Helps with autoimmune diseases, lupus, chronic
rheumatoid arthritis, sclerosis, Behcet’s disease, Hepatitis
B, malaria. hypertension, diabetes, thrombosis. Lowers
cholesterol, speeds burn recovery. Dyes: Ammonia=brown/
beige, no mordant=gray-yellow. Remediation: Thoroughly
investigated, highly regarded. Breaks down all 16 priority PAHs
and many aromatic compounds (e.g. nerve agents, dioxin,
persistent organophosphates, PCPs, TNT, 3,4-dichloroaniline,
dieldrin, antracines, pyrenes). Sorbs chromium and mercury
from water. Other: Colors reflect mineral content of substrate.

N Cultivation: Fast growing, with rubbery mycelium in age.

Good for plain, pasteurized sawdust/logs of many wood types. N.30 – Xylaria hypoxylon.

462 Radical Mycology

Xylaria hypoxylon (L.) Grev.
Candlestick Fungus, Candlesnuff Fungus, Carbon Antlers, Stag’s
Horn Fungus
Spores: Sexual spores 10–14x4–6 µm, bean-shaped, smooth,
black. Asexual spores smooth, elliptical, white. Perithecia in
upper half of mature fruit body. Fruit Body: Lower sterile
portion 1–5 mm thick, black, minutely hairy, very tough/wiry.
Upper 2–8 cm high, very tough, erect, slender, cylindrical
becoming antler-like, tips white and powdery when young,
eventually blackening. Flesh tough and white/pallid. Other:
Reported to have luminescent mycelium.
Ecology: Rotting logs/stumps. Growth Habit: Scattered/
densely gregarious/clustered. Season: Spring–winter.
Edibility: Not poisonous but very tough.
Xylaria polymorpha (Pers.) Grev.
Dead Man’s Fingers, India: Phoot Doodh (To Gush Milk)
Spores: Sexual are 20–32x5–12 µm, spindle-shaped, smooth,
dark brown/black. Asexual spores smaller, elongated/elliptical,
N.31 – Xylaria polymorpha, the fingers of dead men.
smooth, hyaline under microscope. Perithecia in upper half of
fruit body. Stalk/ Fruit Body: Short, well defined, narrower
upper half. Top: 2–8x0.5–3 cm, tough and hard, erect, club-
shaped/irregular/twisted, blunt/rounded/lobed, surface crust-
like, wrinkled/cracked, black in age. Flesh hard and white/
pallid. Often covered with a white/gray/brown powder when
young. Other: Asexual (whitish) stage in spring, sexual
(carbon) stage the following summer.
Ecology: On rotting hardwood stumps/logs of beech/maple.
Growth Habit: In groups/clusters. Season: Summer–fall.
Edibility: Too tough to eat. Medicinal: In Ayurvedic
medicine: ground with sugar and formed into pea-sized
pills. Anticancer, antifungal, antibacterial, antiviral (HIV),
antioxidant, potential for memory conditions. Mycelium
powder is said to produce a tranquilizing effect on the CNS.
Improves sleep, reduces abnormal dopamine stimulation,
improves iron deficient anemia, restores hormonal imbalance
associated with menopause, prostate hypertrophy, and
abnormal menstruation. Closely related X. nigripes is
commonly cultivated in China for medicine.
N
Species Profiles: Non-Cap and Stalk 463