Yunnan Meat Stick

Yunnan Meat Stick

　　Family Hypocreaceae. The stroma is erect, irregularly bifurcated, orange-yellow, later turning earth-brown. It grows 8–14 cm tall and 0.5–1.2 cm thick. The top is bluntly rounded, the flesh is milky white, fairly firm, and the branches are cylindrical. The perithecia are embedded within the stroma, with slightly protruding openings; the cavities are ovoid, the asci are cylindrical with short stalks at the base, bearing 16 ascospores that are nearly sub-square and rounded, resembling thick meat sticks. The paraphyses are transparent and filamentously curved. It is found in mixed coniferous and broadleaf forests in central and southern Yunnan, fruiting from July to October each year. When the fungus is crushed and applied to wounds, it can help stop bleeding.