moose antlers

The fruit bodies (technically called apothecia) of W. americana are erect and spoon- or ear-shaped, and may reach up to 13 centimetres (5 inches) tall by 6 cm (2+1⁄4 in) wide with the edges usually rolled inward. The outside surface is dark brown–purplish, while the inner surface—the spore-bearing hymenium—is pinkish orange to dull purplish red or brown at maturity. The outer surface may develop wrinkles in maturity. The apothecia, which occur singly or in groups of up to about 25, arise from a short stalk. The stalk is variable in length and solid, dark outside, white within. The stalks originate from a sclerotium, a compact mass of hardened mycelium. The sclerotium has an almost gelatinous consistency with irregularly shaped lobes and internal chambers, and may reach a diameter of 4 to 6 cm (1+1⁄2 to 2+1⁄4 in). The sclerotium's function is thought to supply moisture and nutrients, or to serve as a resistant structure capable of sustaining the fungus through times of stress. W. macrotis is the only other species in the genus to bear a sclerotium. Wynnea americana has no discernible odor, and its taste is unknown. It has been described as inedible due to its toughness. Clusters of fruit bodies are connected by large underground masses of compacted mycelia known as sclerotia. …

In North America, W. americana has been collected from several locations, including Tennessee, New York, West Virginia, North Carolina, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. It has also been collected in Mexico, Costa Rica, India, and Japan. The fruit bodies grow solitarily or in clusters on the ground in deciduous forests, and prefer moist, organic soils. In both Asia and North America, fruit bodies are most often produced during August and September. The single Central American collection, from Costa Rica, was made in early November.

== References ==