Cordyceps militaris (L.: Fr.) Link
caterpillar fungus
Cordycipitaceae
Species account author: Ian Gibson.
Extracted from Matchmaker: Mushrooms of the Pacific Northwest.
Introduction to the Macrofungi
caterpillar fungus
Cordycipitaceae
Species account author: Ian Gibson.
Extracted from Matchmaker: Mushrooms of the Pacific Northwest.
Introduction to the Macrofungi
Species Information
Microscopic:
spores thread-like, multiseptate, smooth, colorless, breaking up into one-celled, barrel-shaped segments averaging 2-6 x 1-1.5 microns, (Arora), 300-500 x 1-1.5 microns, thread-like and many cells, breaking into part-spores 3.5-6 x 1-1.5 microns, barrel-shaped, smooth, (Lincoff(2)), spores "thread-like, as long as the ascus, breaking into part-spores which become slightly barrel-shaped, 3.5-6 x 1-1.5 microns"; asci 8-spored, very long, about 4 microns wide, with thick-walled apex; perithecia completely immersed, (Dennis)
EDIBILITY
unknown (Arora), said to be unpalatable (McKnight)
Habitat and Range
SIMILAR SPECIES
Cordyceps washingtonensis is similar but with a whitish to yellow fruitbody, (Arora).Habitat
single to gregarious or clustered on buried pupae (or less commonly caterpillars) of moths and butterflies, (Arora), usually single, on larvae and pupae of moths and butterflies, which are usually buried in soil, (Dennis), single to several "on the ground or in humus or well-decayed wood"; late summer and fall, (Miller)
Status Information
Synonyms
Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Haematostereum rugosum (Pers.) Pouzar