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Chlorociboria aeruginascens    Blue-Stain Fungus

As you wander along the forest trails, you will often find rotting wood with a striking blue-green colour. This wood is being attacked by one of the blue-stain fungi.  More often than not, you find the wood, which is attractive enough, but not the fruitbodies. These are only produced during or after prolonged wet periods in summer or fall. Chlorociboria aeruginascens is widespread across North America.  The fruitbody (= apothecium - see Appendix) is less than a cm across at its broadest dimension and can be spatula-shaped, cup-shaped or disk-shaped.  Another species called Chlorociboria aeruginosa can only be separated with certainty by the spores (ascospores) and this requires a microscope.