Printer-friendly version

06 February 2004

E-Bulletin Backscatter

About the spectacular devil's cigar fungus

Forrest,

As a young boy I saw a devil's cigar (Chorioactis geaster) on our property (see Forrest M. Mims III, "The rare and exotic devil's cigar", E-Bulletin, 16 January 2004, www.sas.org/E-Bulletin/2004-01-16/mimsci/index.html). I was convinced it was an alien life-form, as it was so unlike anything else about. I lived in far north Dallas County, and I would guess this would be around 1958 +/- a year or two. We lived in a flood plain with plenty of cedar elms. I wonder if that is typical, since you mention the cedar elms? So, I think its likely that these may have made it to Collin County as well. Subsequent development has pretty much covered Collin with houses, but the property with the fungus still belongs to my family. I never found it again.

About the same time, I found a small tributary creek where the Monarchs would stay over during their migration. It was a truly magical place. Development near the creek increased, and the next year there were fewer, and the year thereafter almost none. Sad.

Eric Vogel
www.flash.net/~evogel

Forrest Mims responds:

Yes, Chorioactis geaster is usually associated with the decaying roots or stumps of the cedar elm (Ulmus crassifolia). Your observation about the flood plain is also interesting, because C. geaster is usually found in flood plains. However, I have found many growing above flood plains--including within 5 meters of my office! I will have more to say about this extraordinarily rare and spectacular fungus in a future E-Bulletin. Meanwhile, your letter now becomes one of a handful in the published C. geaster literature.