Corner (1950, 1970) was unable to examine the type specimen, but Petersen (1969) simply overlooked the prominent cystidia which characterize the taxon. Unlike cystidia in other taxa, the cystidia of C. vinaceo-cervina are not at all refringent under phase contrast and are easily overlooked in squash mounts, especially of old preserved material. They are much more prominent in fresh collections. Moreover, no author (including Cleland) has reported the dramatic staining reaction to deep red, although this would account for half of the species epithet. The taxon seems common in all states where collecting has been done. That cystidia occur in both clamped and clampless taxa indicates the early origin of these structures. If, as put forward by Donk (1964), Clavulina is related to Cantharellus and Hydnum through stichobasidial nuclear behavior, then cystidia arose after these genera were separated phylogenetically. Morphologically, the cystidia in Clavulina resemble those found in Clavariapurpurea Fr., but relationships end at that point.[2]
Notice: The data in the table above is semi-automatically extracted from the description. Please be sure to check the original documents for accurate information.