Dead Man's Fingers
Xylaria polymorpha
Also called dead man's finger.
Dead man's fingers is a fungus of black, finger-like clubs that rise from stumps and buried wood, often in clusters like a hand pushing out of the ground. The clubs are tough, white inside and black and rough outside. It grows on dead hardwood and persists for months.
The tell
Black, club-shaped fingers rising from the base of a stump, white inside.
Field marks
What to look at
Cap, underside and stem show in a photo. The spore print does not, and it is often the deciding check.
- Cap
- No cap. Upright, club- or finger-shaped fruiting bodies, often irregular or flattened, black and finely bumpy. Young clubs in spring are coated in a pale gray to bluish powder.
- Underside
- None. Spores form in tiny chambers just under the rough surface.
- Stem
- A short, narrow black stalk at the base of each club.
- Flesh
- Tough, white and fibrous inside the black crust.
- Spore print
- Dark brown to black, though a print is rarely taken.
- Size
- Clubs 1 to 4 inches (2.5 to 10 cm) tall and 1/4 to 1 1/4 inches (0.5 to 3 cm) thick.
Where and when
Where and when it grows
- Habitat
- Hardwood forests, at the base of stumps, on rotting logs and on buried roots.
- Grows on
- Dead hardwood, especially stumps and roots.
- Season
- Appears in spring and persists through summer, fall and winter.
- Range
- Across North America, most common in the East.
Lookalikes
What the dead man's fingers gets confused with
Each card says how to tell the two apart.
Dead moll's fingers (Xylaria longipes)
More slender, with a longer, distinct stalk, usually on fallen hardwood branches rather than stumps.
Black earth tongues (Geoglossum and Trichoglossum)
Black, club-shaped but softer and smoother, with a flattened tongue-like head, growing from soil or moss rather than wood.
Candlesnuff fungus (Xylaria hypoxylon)
Thin and antler-like, with forked, white-powdered tips.
Edibility
What the field guides say
Field guides list dead man's fingers as inedible because it is tough and woody. It is not known to be toxic. It causes a soft rot in the wood it grows from.
This page states what field guides record. It is not advice to eat, taste or handle anything, and a photo cannot settle edibility. If someone has eaten a wild mushroom that may be toxic, call poison control (1-800-222-1222 in the US) right away, before symptoms start: the deadliest species act hours later.
FAQ
Questions about the dead man's fingers
What is dead man's fingers fungus?
It is a fungus that forms black, club-shaped fruiting bodies on dead hardwood, often in clusters that look like fingers rising from the ground. It breaks down stumps and roots.
Is dead man's fingers poisonous?
It is not known to be toxic. Field guides list it as inedible because it is tough and woody.
Where does dead man's fingers grow?
At the base of hardwood stumps, on rotting logs and on buried roots, across North America. It appears in spring and the black clubs persist for months.
Sources
Where these facts come from
- Xylaria polymorpha
MushroomExpert.com
- Xylaria polymorpha
Fungi Growing on Wood, Gary Emberger (MushroomExpert.com)
- Dead Man's Fingers
Missouri Department of Conservation
- Xylaria polymorpha
Index Fungorum
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