How to tell Crested coral from Pallid coral

There is no cap. The fruit body is bushy, up to 7 cm tall, with a short base 1.5 to 2.5 cm tall from which the branches spread.

It's white to cream. The branch tips split into fine, sharp teeth like a crest, turning brown with age. Specimens attacked by a parasite turn grey or black.

There is no cap. The fruit body is bushy, 5 to 15 cm tall and wide, occasionally up to 20 cm, with dense, repeatedly forking branches.

The colour is pale: cream branches like milky coffee and a whitish base. Young branch tips are blunt, finely toothed and faintly lilac-pink. The whole fruit body fades further with age.

There are no gills or pores. The smooth spore-bearing surface covers the branches on all sides.

The spore print is white, which is a handy feature: corals of the genus Ramaria leave an ochre or yellowish print.

There are no gills or pores. The smooth spore-bearing surface covers the branches on all sides.

The spore print is pale yellow. The spores are elliptical, 9–12 × 4.5–6.5 µm and finely warty. Only a microscope reliably separates it from similar corals.

There is no separate stem: the branches rise from a short white base. There is no ring and no volva.

There is no separate stem: the branches rise from a thick whitish base. There is no ring and no volva.

The flesh is whitish, firm and brittle. Field guides describe the taste as mild and not distinctive.

The flesh is white and firm. Field guides describe the taste as mild to bitterish.

The smell is not distinctive.

The smell is faint: German guides compare it to soapy water or call it slightly sour, and a Swedish guide calls it spicy. It's of little help in identification.