Xylaria hypoxylon - Candlesnuff Fungus

Taxonomy

Class: Sordariomycetes

Order: Xylariales

Family: Xylariaceae

Xylaria hypoxylon, commonly called the Candlesnuff Fungus, appears throughout the year but is particularly noticeable during late autumn and winter. It is one of the pyromycetes or flask fungi.

Rarely fruiting in photogenic groups, this morbid fungus is the type species of the Xylaria genus. The specific epithet is made up from Hypo- meaning 'beneath' and xylon which is a reference to 'wood'.

Identification Guide

	Description Small, upright fruit bodies, usually in masses. Some are simple spikes, but most branch like antlers. Initially black and finely downy near the sterile base, and white towards the spore-bearing tips, the whole of the fruitbody eventually blackens. This is one of the last fungi to attack rotting wood, and is often preceded by a succession of other species such as Honey Fungus (Armillaria mellea) and Sulphur Tuft (Hypholoma fasciculare).
Dimensions	Base 2 to 8mm in diameter; fruitbody typically 3 to 5cm tall.
Spore print	Black.
Odour/taste	Not distinctive.
Habitat	On fallen branches and rotting stumps of broad-leaf trees; very occasionally on pine stumps.
Season	Autumn and winter.
Occurrence	Frequent.
Similar species	Xylaria carpophyla is similar but much more slender; it grows on rotting beach mast and is often buried in leaf litter.