vs Dark Club

Clavaria falcata compared with Clavaria greletii

Key Differences

• is Least Concern while Dark Club is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank		Dark Club
Kingdom same	Fungi (Fungi)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum same	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)
Class same	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)
Order same	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)
Family same	Clavariaceae	Clavariaceae
Genus same	Clavaria	Clavaria
Species	Clavaria falcata	Clavaria greletii

Evolutionary Relationship

and Dark Club share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Clavaria.

Conservation Status

LC — Least Concern

Dark Club

VU — Vulnerable

Physical Characteristics

Attribute		Dark Club
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Habitat

Typically found in forest floors, decomposing wood, and soil ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.

Dark Club

Habitat

Typically found in forest floors, decomposing wood, and soil ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Clavaria falcata is a small, white to ivory-colored coral fungus in the family Clavariaceae, named for the slightly curved, falcate form of its simple or sparingly branched fruiting bodies. The genus Clavaria encompasses slender, erect, unbranched to moderately branched club fungi that grow in grasslands, meadows, and open woodland edges, often in nutrient-poor soils. Clavaria falcata typically forms compact clusters of thin, white clubs emerging from the ground, fruiting in late summer and autumn across temperate regions of Europe and North America. The fruiting bodies are fragile, breaking easily when handled, with a smooth to slightly striate surface that may become yellowish at the apex with age. This species is one of the so-called waxcap grassland fungi, often found in unimproved meadows and ancient grasslands that have never been ploughed or heavily fertilized. Such habitats are increasingly rare due to agricultural intensification, making grassland Clavaria species valuable biodiversity indicators. The species is saprotrophic or potentially weakly mycorrhizal, contributing to decomposition and soil processes in grassland ecosystems. Clavaria falcata is not formally assessed by IUCN but appears on several national red lists in Europe as a species of conservation concern tied to the loss of semi-natural grassland habitats.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 4 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden