Rosso coral or Ramaria flava

There's no cap in the usual sense — the mushroom forms a bushy, coral-like fruiting body. Overall size: 10-20 cm tall, 15-30 cm across, shape compact and rounded to cushion-like. It consists of a thick shared trunk at the bottom and numerous branching "fingers" (branchlets) on top. The base is white to cream, the branchlets pale cream with characteristic pinkish-red or wine-purple tips — a diagnostic feature.

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 layer covers the surface of the "fingers" (no gills or pores). Spore print ochre to yellowish.

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.

The shared base of the cluster is thick, fleshy, white, 3-8 cm tall, 4-6 cm across. Upward it divides into numerous branches, then into smaller branchlets with pink tips. The surface of the base is smooth, white, yellowing with age.

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.

Flesh firm, white, marbled, becoming rather tough and fibrous. It doesn't change color when cut — an important diagnostic feature (toxic ramarias may darken). Smell pleasant, fruity, sometimes with a hint of radish.

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.

Pleasant, fresh, fruity-mushroomy, with a hint of radish in young ones. Not sharp, no chemical notes.

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.