Dead man's fingers, also known as Xylaria polymorpha, is a saprobic fungus that grows in clusters of hard, swollen, warty "fingers" that resemble a dead hand emerging from the soil
The fungus is named for its macabre appearance and can grow to be 3–8 cm high and 1–3 cm in diameter. When young, it's pale gray with a whitish tip and a coating of asexual spores. Over time, it will turn black or blue and become covered in a layer of fluffy white spores. The flesh inside is white and tough under the black spore-bearing outer layer.
Dead man's fingers can be found at the base of dead or dying trees and shrubs, as well as wood objects that are in contact with soil. It feeds on dead organic matter, like rotting wood and dead tree trunks, which helps nutrients cycle back into the soil and cleans the forest.
However, dead man's fingers is not considered edible because it contains amatoxins and phallotoxins, compounds also found in some of the most dangerous mushrooms in the world. It can also cause black root rot in apple trees and other stressed trees or shrubs, such as crabapple, pear, cherry, plum, American elm, Norway maple, and honeylocust. Experts do not recommend using mulch chipped from tree stumps or roots infected with dead man's fingers.
To get rid of dead man's fingers, you can handpick them and place them in a sealable plastic bag to put out with the trash. You can catch them before they start to smell and attract flies by searching twice a week for the white unopened balls that are emerging. Dead man's fingers can also be toxic to dogs. If ingested, you should remove plant bits, rinse the mouth, and seek vet intervention.
