Clavulinopsis laeticolor - Handsome Club

Taxonomy

Phylum: Basidiomycota

Class: Agaricomycetes

Order: Agaricales

One of several very similar yellow or orange club fungi, this club can be found on leaf litter in damp deciduous woodland or occasionally in hedgerows. Although the Handsome Club is most often found in woodlands, it also occurs very occasionally in unimproved grassland habitats.

Confident identification of yellow or orange fairy clubs from macroscopic characteristics alone is not generally feasible; microscopic characteristics have to be examined to confirm the identity of many of these superficially very similar club fungi.

Identification guide

Description	Usually clustered but not often fused at the base; rarely branched; straight or only slightly curved; sometimes flattened in cross-section; tips either obtuse, spatulate, or very occasionally pointed; tapering toward the base; surface smooth, yellow-orange to orange, paler near the base.
Size	The individual clubs are typicaly 2 to 5cm tall and 1.5 to 3mm diameter.
Spore print	White.
Odour/taste	Not distinctive.
Habitat	Growing from leaf litter in damp woodland; very occasionally also in grassland habitats.
Season	July to November.
Occurrence	Fairly common.
Similar species	Clavulinopsis luteoalba, the Apricot Club forms dense tufts of clubs that are lateraly compressed and sometimes forked.