Flower-headed Earthfan

Thelephora anthocephala

Deciduous, rarely coniferous forests, parks. Summer, autumn, until snowfall.

Fruiting bodies branched, soft, 2-3 (5) cm tall, with a short stem thickened at the base and covered with brown fibres; from pale to dark brown, the tips of the branchlets paler – almost white, whitish; the branchlets of unequal size, flat, cracked and split in the upper part, resembling beautiful petals. Hymenophore smooth, covering the surface of all the branchlets, dark grey, greyish-brown, brown, chocolate-coloured, sometimes with a violet tinge. Grows in forests and parks, singly or in small groups on the ground. Uncommon. A litter saprotroph.