Species details
Giant club
Clavariadelphus pistillaris
Conditional / expert preparation
Photo: Tatiana · CC BY 4.0 · Photo source · License
Description
A large simple club-shaped fungus without a cap, yellow-ochre to brownish; edible when young but uncommon and better observed.
Identification features
The fruitbody can reach about 20 cm, club-shaped, widening upward and lacking a true cap. The surface is yellowish to ochre-brown and becomes wrinkled with age.
Identification checklist
Check the large club shape without a cap, rounded top and uniformly yellow-ochre surface.
Size
- Cap diameter
- ≤ 20 cm
Habitat
Grows in deciduous and mixed woodland, often with beech on calcareous soils, in summer and autumn.
Fruiting period
July, August, September, October
Ecology
- Host trees
- Beech (Fagus)
- Soil
- Calcareous
- Notes
- Grows in deciduous and mixed woodland, often with beech on calcareous soils, in summer and autumn.
How to separate similar species
Clavariadelphus truncatus has a distinctly flattened or depressed top; C. ligula is much smaller. Rare club fungi are best left in place.
Similar species
- Truncated club (Clavariadelphus truncatus)
- Clavariadelphus ligula
- Pig's ears (Gomphus clavatus)