Cordyceps militaris

Cordyceps militaris, commonly called the caterpillar fungus, is the type species of the genus Cordyceps and was first described by Linnaeus in 1753 as Clavaria militaris. It parasitises insects, and is used in traditional Chinese medicine. The fruiting bodies are club-shaped, orange to red, 1 to 8 centimetres tall, and grow out of dead pupae underground; the inner tissue is whitish to pale orange. It is common across the Northern Hemisphere and fruits in Europe from August to November. In Asia the fruiting body is cooked as a mushroom, in chicken soup, pork bone soup and hot pot, and it is approved as a novel food in China. It is marketed as a dietary supplement, but the source says the evidence for safety and effectiveness is insufficient. It is cultivated on media such as silkworm pupae and rice in China, Vietnam, Taiwan and Indonesia. It produces cordycepin, a compound related to adenosine.