Summary:
Diagnostic features of Ramaria formosa include 1) salmon branches and yellow tips, 2) stout fasciculate brunnescent stems, 3) soft, friable dried flesh, 4) spore size, and 5) clamp connections, (Petersen). Another set of diagnostic features are 1) large fruitbody with pinkish branches and yellowish tips, 2) any part discoloring brown with handling, 3) either stem or primary branches thick - 2-4cm wide, 4) dried specimens very chalky-friable, 5) basidia and sterigmata filled with cyanophilic granular protoplasm, 6) prominently ornamented apiculate spores averaging about 10.4 x 5.4 microns, 7) clamped hyphae, and 8) positive macrochemical reactions with alpha-napthol, guaiac, guaiacol, phenol, and aniline, (Marr).

Chemical Reactions:
branch sections green in ferric sulphate in water (Petersen(12)), stem flesh inamyloid, ferric sulphate in water negative on stem flesh (Exeter)

Odor:
indistinct, earthy, (Petersen(12)), not distinctive (Marr)

Taste:
faintly fabaceous [bean-like], (Petersen(12)), not distinctive (Marr)

Microscopic:
spores 10.7-15.5 x 5.6-6.7 microns, average 12.2 x 5.92 microns, elliptic to narrowly ovate, roughened in profile; ornamentation of complex meandering ridges and a few isolated warts, contents homogeneous or with 1 or 2 dark inclusions, wall up to 0.2 microns thick, apiculus prominent, gradual; basidia 4-spored, 60-75 x 8-12 microns, clavate, clamped, contents homogeneous to minutely granular, strongly cyanophilic, sterigmata stout; "Clamp connections are especially difficult to observe on tramal hyphae in this species. It is essential, therefore, to examine young basidia, for in all other regards, R. formosa and R. neoformosa are nearly indistinguishable." (Petersen(12): in quotation the Latin names are in italics), spores 9-12 x 4.5-6 microns, average 10.4 x 5.4 microns, elliptic, ornamented with large, irregularly lobed, strongly cyanophilic warts, apiculus usually prominent up to 1 x 1.5 microns; basidia 1-4-spored, 40-82 x 8-13 microns, clavate, basally clamped, contents granular, cyanophilic, (Marr)

Spore Deposit:
golden yellow'' (Marr)

Notes:
Ramaria formosa is found from coast to coast in temperate climates of North America, including NS, NC, TN, and is common in Europe, (Petersen). It is uncommon in western WA, and collections were examined from WA, OR, NC, (Marr). Desjardin(6) illustrate it from CA. There are collections from BC at the University of British Columbia.

EDIBILITY

poisonous (McKnight(1))