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earth tongue
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(Top) Xylaria hypoxlon; (bottom) earth tongue (Geoglossum fallax) Earth tongue
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earth tongue

fungus genus
Also known as: Geoglossum
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(Top) Xylaria hypoxlon; (bottom) earth tongue (Geoglossum fallax)
(Top) Xylaria hypoxlon; (bottom) earth tongue (Geoglossum fallax)

Earth tongue refers to any fungus belonging to the genus Geoglossum. These fungi are characterized by their ascomata, which resemble the sporophores of simpler club fungi and grow on decaying logs or damp soil. Geoglossum is the type genus for the family Geoglossaceae, which are part of the order Helotiales within the phylum Ascomycota. Ascomycetes, or sac fungi, are distinguished by a saclike structure called an ascus, which contains ascospores. Earth tongues typically produce black to brown, club-shaped fruiting structures.1234

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5 Britannica Sources
  1. earthtongue
  2. Ascomycota
  3. fungus - Mycorrhiza
  4. Geoglossum
  5. Geoglossaceae

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