Pine Firefungus

Pine Firefungus Rhizina undulata Fr. syn. R. inflata (Schaeff.) Quél. (illustrated 60% life size) Fruit body 4–12cm across, 2–8cm high, irregularly lobed, wavy cushions, attached to substrate by numerous whitish rhizoids growing down from the underside; chestnut-brown to black, margin paler. Flesh reddish-brown; tough, thick. Spores 22–40×8–11¼, fusiform, containing 2 or more oil drops. Asci 400×20¼. Habitat on conifer debris, especially on fire sites; early summer to autumn. Occasional. Not edible. Note causes ‘group dying’, a serious disease of conifers.