Yellow stagshorn

About

Calocera viscosa resembles a small yellow-orange coral or deer antlers protruding from a stump. The fruiting body is 2–10 cm tall, forked, with sharp tips. It feels elastic, cartilaginous-slimey, and is slippery and sticky in wet weather. As it dries, the mushroom hardens and darkens to orange-brown, and after rain, it swells again.

Calocera grows only on dead wood of coniferous species — on decayed stumps and roots of spruce, fir, and pine. Even when it seems that the mushroom has grown from the ground, its long whitish base is immersed in buried roots or a piece of wood. Fruiting bodies appear from June to November, most abundantly after rains.

In the Carpathians, this is one of the most common mushrooms in spruce and mixed forests, and in the observations of naturalists from the Ukrainian Carpathians, it is one of the most frequent. The yellow 'antlers' on the dark stump are clearly visible from a distance, so it is eagerly photographed.

It is not worth collecting the mushroom: the flesh is rubbery, tasteless, and odorless. It is not considered poisonous, but some guides classify it as an edible mushroom of low quality; we list it as inedible.

Do not confuse Calocera with ramarias — true 'coral' mushrooms. Ramarias grow on the ground or forest litter, their flesh is brittle and breaks, not elastic. Some species cause digestive disorders, so collecting 'corals' at random is not advisable.

Where in the Carpathians

Teal — roughly where the species can occur, by elevation and habitat; orange — where naturalists recorded it (GBIF, CC0/CC BY).

Range: elevation belt and forests — our model (AWS Terrain Tiles; © OpenStreetMap)

Countries

Ukraine · Slovakia · Poland · Romania · Hungary · Czechia · Austria

Mountain ranges

nearly all Carpathian ranges, in the forest belt

Altitude belts

Foothills (below 600 m) · Beech forests (600–1200 m) · Conifer forests (1200–1600 m)

When to see it

From naturalists’ observations in the Carpathians (iNaturalist, research grade): the darker the cell, the more often the species is seen that month.

Safety

Inedible. Similar 'coral' mushrooms, ramarias, can cause digestive disorders. Never identify a mushroom solely by photos. In case of suspected poisoning, call 103 (or 112).

Look-alikes — how to tell them apart

Protection and rules

Not listed in the Red Book of Ukraine.

FAQ