Fungalpedia – Note 73 Ramaria
Ramaria Fr. ex Bonord.
Citation if using this entry: Bera et al. (2023) Basidiomycota. Mycosphere (in prep)
Index Fungorum, MycoBank, GenBank, Fig. 1
The genus Ramaria popularly known as “coral mushrooms” was introduced by Holmsköld (1790). Although many taxonomists have treated Ramaria as a segment of another genus Clavaria (Coker 1923, Doty 1944, Leathers 1955). The taxonomic placement of this genus was always debated until Donk (1933) elevated the name Ramaria to its current generic status based on Bonorden’s (1851) usage of the name Ramaria (Corner 1950, 1970, Donk 1961, Peterson 1968, Marr & Stuntz 1973). Ramaria is currently classified under the family Gomphaceae (Gomphales, Hymenomycetes) as per Donk (1961), and Petersen (1988). Another school of thought considers the genus under the family Ramariaceae (Corner 1970, Hawksworth et al. 1995). The typical character of Ramaria is its always branched, coralloid basidiomata generally with intense shades of yellow, orange, or red tones of colour (Marr & Stuntz 1973). Though sometimes the colour changes on bruising (Marr & Stuntz 1973). It has fleshy-fibrous to coriaceous to cartilaginous or gelatinous consistency (Marr & Stuntz 1973, Humpert et al. 2001). The hymenium is generally amphigenous and turns green on application of ferric sulphate (Humpert et al. 2001, Marr & Stuntz 1973). The basidiospores of Ramaria species are of rusty brown to yellowish brown and are either smooth or have warted to echinulate or striate ornamentation (Marr & Stuntz 1973). The ornamentation of the basidiospores is cyanophilous (Humpert et al. 2001). The hyphae of the context are either monomitic or dimitic whereas the generative hyphae are inflated to non-inflated with thin to thick walls and generally have clamp connections (Marr & Stuntz 1973). The gleoplerous hyphae are quite common in this genus with localized bulbous regions and stains in cotton blue (Marr & Stuntz 1973). Ramaria species are either lignicolous or terrestrial, sometimes with rhizomorphic strands (Marr & Stuntz 1973). Four terrestrial species [Ramaria aurea (Schaeff.: Fr.) Quel., R. largentii Marr & D. E. Stuntz, R. spinulosa (Pers.) Quél., R. subbotrytis (Coker) Corner] are known to be ectomycorrhizal (Agerer et al. 1996a, b, c, d, Humpert et al. 2001). Numerous revisionary studies of Ramaria based on macroscopic, microscopic, and macrochemical characters classified the genus into four subgenera: (i) R. subg. Ramaria (ii) R. subg. Laeticolora (iii) R. subg. Lentoramaria and (iv) R. subg. Echinoramaria (Corner 1950, 1970, Donk 1961, Marr & Stuntz 1973, Petersen 1969, 1974a, b, 1975, 1976, 1979, 1982, 1986, 1987, 1988a, b, Petersen & Zang 1986, Petersen & Scates 1988). However, the evolutionary studies of coralloid fungi supported by molecular studies suggested paraphyletic nature of Ramaria (Donk 1961, Corner 1950, 1966, 1970, Petersen 1971, 1973, Hibbett et al. 1997, Pine et al. 1999, Humpert et al. 2001). Ramaria botrytis (Pers.) Bourdot is the type species and to date the genus is estimated to have approximately 250 species.
Type species: Ramaria botrytis (Pers.) Bourdot
Fig 1. Ramaria botrytis. a. Basidiomata. b. Basidiospores. c. Basidia. d. Context-hyphae and ampulaeform swellings. Scale bars: b–d = 20 μm. Drawn from Marr & Stuntz 1973 (a & b) and Thind & Sharda 1985 (c & d).
Reference
Agerer R 1996a – Ramaria aurea (Schaeff.: Fr.) Quel. + Fagus sylvatica L. Descr. Ectomyc., 1, 107–112. http://www.deemy.de/Taxa/ItemDescription.cfm?ItemID=220
Agerer R 1996b – Ramaria largentii Marr & D. E. Stuntz + Picea abies (L.) Karst. Descr. Ectomyc., 1, 113–118. http://www.deemy.de/Taxa/ItemDescription.cfm?ItemID=221
Agerer R 1996c – Ramaria spinulosa (Fr.) Quel. + Fagus sylvatica L. Descr. Ectomyc., 1, 119–124. http://www.deemy.de/Taxa/ItemDescription.cfm?ItemID=222
Agerer R 1996d – Ramaria subbotrytis (Coker) Corner+ Quercus robur L. Descr. Ectomyc., 1, 125–130. http://www.deemy.de/Taxa/ItemDescription.cfm?ItemID=223
Bonorden HF 1851 – Handbuch der allgemeinen Mykologie. Stuttgart: E. Schweizerbart. https://www.digitale-sammlungen.de/de/view/bsb10301148?page=23
Coker WC 1923 – The clavarias of the United States and Canada. University of North Carolina Press. 209 p. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/bibliography/5627
Corner EJH 1950 – A monograph of Clavaria and allied genera. London: Oxford University Press. 740 p. https://agris.fao.org/agris-search/search.do?recordID=US201300682429
Corner EJH 1966 – Species of Ramaria (Clavariaceae) without clamps. Trans. Br. Mycol. Soc., 49, 101–113. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0007153666800402
Corner EJH 1970 – Supplement to a monograph of Clavaria and allied genera. Beih Nova Hedwigia, 33, 1–299. https://www.schweizerbart.de/publications/detail/isbn/9783768254335/Nova_Hedwigia_Beiheft_33_3_7682_5433_X
Donk MA 1933 – Revision der Niederlandischen Homobasidiomycetae-Aphyllophoraceae II. Mededeel Bot Mus Rijks-Univ Utrecht 9, 1–278. https://repository.naturalis.nl/pub/534993
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Doty MSC 1944 – The species known from Oregon and the Pacific Northwest. Oregon State Monographs. Studies in Botany, 7, 91. https://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/concern/technical_reports/kp78gn179?locale=en
Hawksworth DL, Kirk PM, Sutton BC, Pegler DN 1995 – Dictionary of the Fungi, 8th ed. Cambridge: CAB International. 616 p. https://agris.fao.org/agris-search/search.do?recordID=GB19960157300
Hibbett DS, Pine EM, Langer E, Langer G, Donoghue MJ 1997 – Evolution of gilled mushrooms and puffballs inferred from ribosomal DNA sequences. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., USA 94, 12002–12006. https://www.jstor.org/stable/43007
Holmsköld T 1790 – Beata ruris otia fungorum Danicis. Vol I. Copenhagen: E. Viborg https://books.google.co.th/books/about/Beata_ruris_otia_fungis_Danicis_impensa.html?id=iDpRugEACAAJ&redir_esc=y
Humpert AJ, Muench EL, Giachini AJ, Castellano MA, Spatafora JW 2001 – Molecular phylogenetics of Ramaria and related genera: evidence from nuclear large subunit and mitochondrial small subunit rDNA sequences. Mycologia, 93(3), 465–477. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00275514.2001.12063180
Leathers CR 1955 – The Genus Clavaria Fries in Michigan. University of Michigan. https://mfield.umich.edu/genus-clavaria-fries-michigan
Marr CD, Stuntz DE 1973 – Ramaria of Western Washington. Biblioth. Mycol., 38, 1–232. https://agris.fao.org/agris-search/search.do?recordID=US201300502349
Petersen RH 1968 – Ramaria (Holmsjold) S.F. Gray versus Ramaria (Fries) Bonorden. Taxon, 17, 279–280. https://sci-hub.se/https://doi.org/10.2307/1217708
Petersen RH 1969 – Type studies in clavarioid fungi. III. The taxa described by JB Cleland. Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club, 457–466. https://www.jstor.org/stable/2484064
Petersen RH 1971 – Interfamilial relationships in the clavarioid fungi and cantharelloid fungi. In: Petersen RH, ed. Evolution in the higher Basidiomycetes. An international symposium. Knoxville, Tennessee: Univ. of Tennessee. 345–374. https://agris.fao.org/agris-search/search.do?recordID=US201302388734
Petersen RH 1973 – Aphyllophorales II: the clavarioid and cantharelloid Basidiomycetes. In: Ainsworth GC, Sussman AS, eds. The fungi, an advanced treatise. New York: Academic Press. 351–367.
Petersen RH 1974a – Contribution toward a monograph of Ramaria. I. Some classic species redescribed. Am. Bot., 61, 739–748. https://www.jstor.org/stable/2441789
Petersen RH 1974b – Contributions toward a monograph of Ramaria. II. Exclusion of Ramaria pinicola (Burt) Corner. Elisa Mitchell Sci Soc., 90, 66–68. https://www.jstor.org/stable/24334534
Petersen RH 1975 – Ramaria subg. Lentoramaria, with emphasis on North American taxa. Biblioth. Mycol., 43, 1–161. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/270248135_Ramaria_Subgenus_Lentoramaria_with_Emphasis_on_North_American_Taxa
Petersen RH 1976 – Contribution toward a monograph of Ramaria. III. R. sanguinea, R. formosa, and two new species from Europe. AmJ. Bot., 63, 309–316. https://www.jstor.org/stable/2441575
Petersen RH 1979 – Contribution to a monograph of Ramaria. IV. R. testaceo-jlava and R. bataillei. Nova Hedwigia, 31, 25–38. https://pascal-francis.inist.fr/vibad/index.php?action=getRecordDetail&idt=PASCAL8010039944
Petersen RH 1982 – Contributions toward a monograph of Ramaria. V. Type specimen studies of taxa described by W. C. Coker. Sydowia Ann. Mycol., 35, 176–205. https://www.zobodat.at/pdf/Sydowia_35_0176-0205.pdf
Petersen RH 1986 – Some Ramaria taxa from Nova scotia. Canadian journal of botany, 64(8), 1786–1811. https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/abs/10.1139/b86-238
Petersen RH 1987 – Contribution toward a monograph of Ramaria. VI. The Ramaria fennicarversatilis complex. Sydowia, 40, 197–226. https://www.mykoweb.com/CAF/PDF/Contribution%20toward%20a%20monograph%20of%20Ramaria.%20VI.%20the%20Ramaria%20fennica%20-%20versatilis%20complex.pdf
Petersen RH 1988 – The clavarioid fungi of New Zealand. Wellington: Science Information Publishing Centre. 170 p. https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/The-clavarioid-fungi-of-New-Zealand-Petersen/a025efa268338f3b28e94adc6134c5df5961d8a3
Petersen RH 1988a – Contribution toward a monograph of Ramaria. VII. New taxa and miscellany. Mycologia, 80, 223–234. https://www.jstor.org/stable/3807797
Petersen RH 1988b – The clavarioid fungi of New Zealand. Wellington: Science Information Publishing Centre. 170 p. https://openlibrary.org/books/OL2249723M/The_clavarioid_fungi_of_New_Zealand
Petersen RH, Scates C 1988 – Vernally fruiting taxa of Ramaria from the Pacific Northwest. Mycotaxon, 33, 101–144. https://agris.fao.org/agris-search/search.do?recordID=US8909664
Petersen RH, Zang M 1986 – New or interesting clavarioid fungi from Yunnan, China. Acta Bot. Yunnan., 8, 281–294. https://cir.nii.ac.jp/crid/1573105975221964032
Pine EM, Hibbett DS, Donoghue MJ 1999 – Phylogenetic relationships of cantharelloid and clavarioid Homobasidiomycetes based on mitochondrial and nuclear rDNA sequences. Mycologia, 91, 944–963. https://www.jstor.org/stable/3761626
Thind KS, Sharda RM 1985 – The genus Ramaria in the Eastern Himalayas: Subgenera Ramaria, Echinoramaria and Lentoramaria. Proceedings: Plant Sciences, 95, 51–64. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF03053119
Entry by
Ishika Bera, Center of Excellence in Fungal Research, Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai 57100, Thailand
(Edited by Kevin D Hyde)
Published online 14 September 2023