Morphological and multi-locus phylogenetic analyses reveal three new branched species of Clavaria (Clavariaceae, Agaricales) from China

Based on morphological and molecular evidence, 12 specimens have been identified as belonging to three previously unrecognized species of <i>Clavaria</i>, which are here described as <i>C.divergens</i>, <i>C.orientalis</i>, and <i>C.tongdaoensis</i>. <i>Clavariadivergens</i> is characterized by its branched, white basidiomata. <i>Clavariaorientalis</i> and <i>C.tongdaoensis</i> are very similar to <i>C.zollingeri</i> in the field. However, <i>C.orientalis</i> is distinguished by its more robust branches, while <i>C.tongdaoensis</i> differs by its varied or paler color of basidiomata. A concatenated sequence dataset (ITS-nrLSU-<i>RPB</i>2) was used for multi-locus phylogenetic analysis. The phylogenetic tree of <i>Clavaria</i> showed that the three branched species each formed a distinct lineage with strong support. A key to the known branched species of <i>Clavaria</i> in China is provided.