Ramaria maculatipes is widespread, but highly disjunct. Currently known from ~40 collections from 30 locations (Siegel et al. 2019, Mycoportal 2024). Approximately half of these are historic. It is included on the Oregon Natural Heritage rare fungi list (Oregon Biodiversity Information Center 2019), as a S3 species and the Washington Natural Heritage list as a S1 species. The species is likely restricted to mature and old growth forests, although many records do not disclose habitat information. Ongoing logging and an increase in fire frequency and intensity are having a major negative impact on forests throughout its range.  Steel et al. (2023) calculated that over 30% of the conifer forests in the Southern Sierra Nevada Mountains transitioned to nonforest vegetation between 2011-2020 and that between 50%-85% of mature forests significantly declined in quality during this time.  Extrapolating these data to more northern California into Washington State yields a conservative estimate of a loss / decline of at least 30% of habitat for this species over the past three generations and continuing into the future.  Given that the species extends into the Rocky Mountains which has, so far, been less impacted by fire, the population decline for Ramaria maculatipes is precautionarily inferred to be between 20-30%. It is assessed as Near Threatened.

Described from a Type collection made in Washington, USA (Marr and Stuntz 1973).

Field identification of Ramaria is often very difficult, with macromorphological differences being subtle and often intergrading (especially in older fruitbodies).

Ramaria maculatipes is an uncommon but widespread species in the Pacific Northwest and northern California, USA, currently known from ~27 locations (Siegel et al. 2019, Mycoportal 2021).

Habitat requirements are largely unknown, but it appears to be restricted to mature or old growth forests, which are in decline in the Pacific Northwest due to stand replacing fires and logging.

Ramaria maculatipes is an uncommon but widespread species in the Pacific Northwest and northern California, USA, currently known from ~30 locations (Siegel et al. 2019, Mycoportal 2024). It has a disjunct distribution in California, occurring from coastal Mendocino County north through the Klamath range and from the coast to the Cascade range in Oregon and Washington and west into the Rocky Mountains of northern Idaho.

Its population is widespread, but highly disjunct. Currently known from ~40 collections from 30 locations (Siegel et al. 2019, Mycoportal 2024). Approximately half of these are historic. It is included on the Oregon Natural Heritage rare fungi list (Oregon Biodiversity Information Center 2019), as a S3 species and the Washington Natural Heritage list as a S1 species. The species is likely restricted to mature and old growth forests, although many records do not disclose habitat information. Ongoing logging and an increase in fire frequency and intensity are having a major negative impact on forests throughout its range.  Steel et al. (2023) calculated that over 30% of the conifer forests in the Southern Sierra Nevada Mountains transitioned to nonforest vegetation between 2011-2020 and that between 50%-85% of mature forests significantly declined in quality during this time.  Extrapolating these data to more northern California into Washington State yields a conservative estimate of a loss / decline of at least 30% of habitat for this species over the past three generations and continuing into the future.  Given that the species extends into the Rocky Mountains which has, so far, been less impacted by fire, the population decline for Ramaria maculatipes is precautionarily inferred to be between 20-30%.

The species is found solitary or scattered on ground and fruiting in fall. It forms ectomycorrhizas with conifers, especially true firs (Abies spp.), Western Hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla), and Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii). The species is likely restricted to mature and old growth forests, although many records do not disclose habitat information.

It is a ectomycorrhizal fungus species dependent on living host trees for viability. The major threats to this species and its co-occurring co-generic taxa is habitat destruction via the logging of old-growth forests to which this species has a preference for and an increase in fire frequency and intensity. The extent of old growth forest in the Pacific Northwest of North America has declined 90% in the last century (Society of American Foresters 1984, Haynes 1986).  Climate change and droughts, along with forest management practices has made western forests highly susceptible to stand replacing forest fires. Fire is big threat to this species’ populations. A stand replacing fire could severely degrade and/or diminish its current range. Logging and machine clearing of understory vegetation should be limited in mature and old growth forest in areas where this species might occur.

This species is included on the United States Forest Service Northwest Forest Plan Survey and Manage list of rare/old growth forests dependent fungi, and has been actively surveyed for since the late 1990’s. (Castellano et al. 1999). Included on the Oregon Natural Heritage rare fungi list (Oregon Biodiversity Information Center 2019), as a S3 species, and the Washington Natural Heritage list as a S1 species.  Logging or machine clearing of understory should be limited in mature (or old growth forest) in areas this species in known to occur.

More research on the range, ecological preferences, and fruiting frequency of this species is needed. It is unknown if this species can colonize and persist in younger forests.

Castellano, M.A., Smith, J.E., O’Dell, T., Cázares, E. and Nugent, S. 1999. Handbook to Strategy 1 Fungal Species in the Northwest Forest Plan. U. S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station: Portland, OR. 195 p.

Exeter, R.L., Norvell, L. and Cázares, E. 2006. Ramaria of the Pacific Northwestern United States. United States Department of Interior, Bureau of Land Management: Salem, OR. 157 p.

Haynes, T.W. 1986. Inventory and value of old-growth in the Douglas-fir region. PNW-RN 437. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station, Portland, OR.

Marr, C.D. and Stuntz, D.E. 1973. Ramaria of Western Washington (Bibliotheca Mycologica, Band 38). J. Cramer: Vaduz, Liechtenstein. 232 p.

MyCoPortal. 2024. http://mycoportal.org/portal/index.php. Accessed on February 18.

Oregon Biodiversity Information Center. 2019. Rare, Threatened and Endangered Species of Oregon. Institute for Natural Resources, Portland State University, Portland, Oregon.

Siegel, N., Vellinga, E.C., Schwarz, C., Castellano, M.A. and Ikeda, D. 2019. A Field Guide to the Rare Fungi of California’s National Forests. Bookmobile: Minneapolis, MN. 313 p.

Society of American Foresters. 1984. Scheduling the harvest of old growth : Old-growth forests in the Pacific Northwest : a position of the Society of American Foresters and Report of the SAF Task Force on Scheduling the Harvest of Old-Growth Timber. Bethesda, MD.

Steel, Zachary L., Gavin M. Jones, Brandon M. Collins, Rebecca Green, Alexander Koltunov, Kathryn L. Purcell, Sarah C. Sawyer, et al. 2023. “ Mega-Disturbances Cause Rapid Decline of Mature Conifer Forest Habitat in California.” Ecological Applications 33(2): e2763. https://doi.org/10.1002/eap.2763

Washington Natural Heritage Program List of Macrofungi https://www.dnr.wa.gov/publications/amp_nh_macrofungi.pdf