Giant Club / Pestle Club

Clavariadelphus pistillaris

Deciduous and mixed forests. Summer, autumn.

Fruiting bodies large, club-shaped, up to 25 cm tall and 5 cm thick in the upper part, smooth or slightly wrinkled, ochre-yellowish, when old yellowish-brown, brownish-pink when broken or cut. Flesh soft, cottony, bitter when young. Characteristic features: robust yellowish-brown mushrooms shaped like a cudgel or club. Grows singly or in small groups, likes calcareous, humus-rich soil and shady places. In recent years very rarely found in our forests. The second-largest club fungus. Edible, but of low value. Must not be collected, because it is protected.