Stats

Lifespan

Annual

Size

Small

Diet

Decomposer

Biome

Temperate forest

Range

Worldwide

Movement

Sessile

Breeding

Spores

Defense

Warning Colors

Status

Uncommon

About

This purple fungus grows in thin, crusty patches on decaying deciduous wood. It secretes droplets of dark red liquid from its surface as if it were bleeding.

Life cycle

1. 1.
   spore

   A microscopic spore drifts on air or water and germinates where moisture and substrate meet.
2. 2.
   mycelium

   A thread-like mycelium spreads through the substrate, breaking it down into nutrients.
3. 3.
   fruiting body

   A mature fruiting body emerges to release the next generation of spores.

Learn more

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Taxonomy

Kingdom

Fungi

Phylum

Basidiomycota

Class

Agaricomycetes

Order

Corticiales

Family

Corticiaceae

Genus

Punctularia

Species

Punctularia atropurpurascens