Candelabra coral or Ramaria flava

There is no true cap. The fruiting body is coral-like and bushy, 4 to 10 centimeters tall, made up of numerous upright branching twigs. Its most distinctive feature is the branch tips, which bear small crown-like cups with several toothed points around the rim, like tiny wreaths. When young it is white, cream or pale ochre; with age it turns yellow, and it browns when handled and as it ages.

There is no true cap. The fruiting body is coral-like and bushy, 5 to 20 centimeters tall and wide, made of a thick, fleshy whitish base from which many tightly bunched branches reach upward. The branch tips are blunt, forked or many-toothed. The branches are sulfur-yellow, lemon-yellow or golden, with a paler, whitish base; when handled and with age the mushroom turns brown or develops reddish spots.

The spore-bearing surface is smooth and covers the whole surface of the branches. Spores form on the outer surface of the branches, with no gills or tubes. The spore print is white. The characteristic crown-like toothed branch tips are the key diagnostic feature that sets this mushroom apart from other coral fungi.

The spore-bearing surface is smooth and covers the entire surface of the branches, where the spores form. There are no gills, tubes or spines. The spore print is ochre-yellow. A smooth fertile layer on yellow branching arms is a typical trait of coral Ramaria species.

There is no distinct stem; the fruiting body attaches to the wood by a short shared base from which the branches fan out. The base is whitish, sometimes with felty mycelium. The whole structure is springy and fairly firm, like a brittle little shrub.

There is no distinct stem; its role is played by a thick, fleshy whitish base (trunk) from which the branches spread. The base is dense and may turn brown or pinkish when touched or damaged. The whole structure is fleshy and rather brittle, especially in mature mushrooms.

The flesh is white, springy-fibrous and fairly firm. In young mushrooms the taste is mild with a distinct peppery or slightly acrid note that grows into bitterness with age. When cut, the color barely changes; only old fruiting bodies turn yellow and brown overall. Only young, pale specimens are good for the table.

The flesh is whitish, fleshy and brittle, and may slowly turn brown or pinkish when cut or handled. Young mushrooms taste mild; with age the taste turns slightly bitter. Because of its laxative effect in some people and the bitterness of old specimens, only young, pale fruiting bodies are fit for the table — and always boiled.

The smell is faint and mushroomy, with no sharp notes. Aroma is not a defining feature; the mushroom is recognized above all by its coral-like shape with crown-like toothed branch tips and by its growth on dead hardwood.

The smell is faint, pleasant or grassy-mushroomy, with no sharp notes. Scent isn't a defining feature; the mushroom is recognized by its yellow coral-like body with blunt forked branch tips and its whitish fleshy base.