Spotted this fungus in the garden growing on the old rotting stump of a rowan tree that had been cut down to ground level some years ago. Strangely when I opened my field guide to try and make an
identification, there, on the first page I looked at, was candle snuff fungus with a very similar looking photo.The fungus grows on dead wood and produces finger-like tough and leathery projections (the fruiting bodies). These were about two centimetres high. When touched they give off clouds of white asexual spores (conidia).
This fungus also contains chemical compounds called cytochalasins which have been shown to have antiviral and antitumour activity.
The finger or strap-like projections can be forked at the top giving them an antler-like shape. Another common name is Stag's Horn Fungus. Typically they are black near the base but grey-white near the top.
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