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(Clavaria zollingeri) Lév.

©Per Fadnes

Clavaria zollingeri grows in dense clusters which are up to 5 cm wide. The fruit bodies have a beautiful purple color and are most often dichotomically branched in the tip. They are often 5-6 cm high and 0.5 -2 cm in cross section.
The name C. zollingeri orginates from a discovery in Java which has subsequently been shown to belong to the genus Clavulinopsis. DNA sequencing has shown that most findings of this species in Norway are C. amethystina (Olariaga et. al 2025).
The red list status has not been changed since it is likely that it will be maintained even if the name has been changed.

Ecology/indicator-value:
Clavaria zollingeri often grows in rich unfertilized pastures, but is also found in forests. It often occurs together with many other rare and red-listed fungi. It is not to be seen every year, and it may take several years between each time it appears on the same location. C. zollingeri has high indicator-value.

Fructification in Norway: From end of June to medio October, mainly in September.

Redlistcategory: VU – vulnerable

Global redlist: VU - vulnerable

Other Nordic countries:

Sweden	Denmark	Finland
VU - vulnerable	EN – endangered	Not listed

Distributionmap

References:

Knudsen, H. & Shiryaev, AG. Kautmanova, I. 2012. Clavaria. I Knudsen,

          H. & Vesterholt, J. (red) Funga Nordica. Agaricoid, boletoid, clavarioid,

cyphelloid and gastroid genera. Nordsvamp – Copenhagen. s. 244
Olariaga I, Parra LA, Læssøe T et. al 2025. Disentangeling a complex of violet
            endangered species of Clavaria subsumed under the misapplied name
            Clavaria zollingeri Lév. (Clavariacea Fungi) J. Fungi 11(7). 482.
            https://doi.org/10.3390/jof11070482

Global redlist, Mushrooms 2019: https://www.iucnredlist.org/search?query=mushrooms&searchType=species