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Project Noah Nature School
Xylaria hypoxylon
The fruit bodies, characterized by erect, elongated black branches with whitened tips, typically grow in clusters on decaying hardwood. Cylindrical or flattened with dimensions of 3–8 centimetres tall, 2–8 mm thick. Specimens found earlier in the season, in spring, may be covered completely in asexual spores (conidia), which manifests itself as a white to grayish powdery deposit. Later in the season, mature ascocarps are charcoal-black, and have minute pimple-like bumps called perithecia on the surface.
Hardwood deadwood.
Contains a carbohydrate-binding protein, a lectin, with a unique sugar specificity, and which has potent anti-tumor effects in various tumor cell lines.
Spotted on Mar 11, 2012
Submitted on Mar 11, 2012
8 Comments
Oh, just noticed the link you left, Cindy - thx for sharing.
Nature persevered and most have recovered! The fires were in 2007 and devastated a lot of So-Cal. The worst of them is what hit the area I walk. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/October_200...
Guess this one might smell a little fresher than your big one :)
Hope it didn't burn all your oaks :( One of the most beautiful species of trees...in Germany the oak has symbolic value...
I agree with auntnance123, it does look like a burnt forest. I walk through a burnt Oak forest weekly that looks like this... although much bigger ;)
Thank you so much as well, Agustin.
Funny thing is, that I don't feel like having extraordinary skills to take the pictures - plus, I started the same as anyone...trial and error.
Aside from that - your collection looks wonderful; you definetely have skills.
Keep 'em coming.
You've inspires me already, this last vacations I was belly to the ground looking for fungus, and found some really pretty things, too bad I'm still missing your skill to take the pictures. Though I'll still post some of my findings.
Thanks so much, Nance....feeling honored. - actually that's what I am trying....inspire spectators to take a closer look to the magic of nature's details
You've done it again! Looks like a tiny forest recovering from a forest fire. (If you look closely, there's a miniture deer comingg throught the bushes.) Your photos always spark my imagination.