ABSTRACT
The coral fungi Ramaria is one of the apparently different (coral-like or finger-like projections), attractive (variously coloured fruitbodies), beautiful member of the macrofungi, classified in division Basidiomycota, found in different kinds of forest including coniferous, broadleaved, and mixed woodlands. Interestingly, the member of this genus plays an important role in the forest ecosystem as they form ectomycorrhizal associations with the various tree species, in which tree roots and the mycelium of the fungi are symbiotically associated with each other. The fruitbody of Ramaria is made up of two kinds of hyphae: generative (the hyphal wall can be thin or thick-walled, which may or may not have clamp connections and septa) and skeletal hyphae (thick-walled, lacking clamp connections and septa). Different bioactive compounds are found in these hyphae including polysaccharides, alkaloids, triterpenoids, sterols, proteins, β-glucans, and phenolic acids viz. cinnamic, gallic, and chlorogenic. The present chapter discusses the brief taxonomy, diversity, ethnomycology, nutritional and dietary composition, the bioactivity of those bioactive compounds, and the pharmaceutical potential of the species of genus Ramaria.
