Leafy Brain!
I think this may be a rather old specimen of Leafy Brain fungus (Tremella foliacea). It's the first time I have knowingly seen this fungus even though it is supposed to be widesread and common in the UK!
Leafy Brain is a jelly fungus - tremella, the generic name means trembling - a reference to the wobbly-jelly-like structure of fungi within this grouping. The specific epithet foliacea means folded or wrinkled like leaves. Initially disc-like, the fruitbody develops irregular convoluted folds with rounded margins. Individual fruitbodies grow to between 2 and 20cm across. The leaf-like clusters of folded lobes are usually reddish-brown or pale pinkish-brown but sometimes reddish orange; gelatinous when damp, turning dark and shriveling to an inconspicuous fraction of its former size during very dry weather.
This jelly fungus grows on dead timber of broadleaf trees and conifers. It is not the dead timber that Tremella foliacea consumes but rather a kind of bracket or crust fungus that itself has been feeding on the wood. Tremella foliacea must therefore be classed as a parasitic rather than saprobic species. In Britain (and probably elsewhere) it attacks Hairy Curtain Crust Stereum hirsutum. It can be found throughout the year, but it is most visible in autumn and winter.
Leafy Brain!
I think this may be a rather old specimen of Leafy Brain fungus (Tremella foliacea). It's the first time I have knowingly seen this fungus even though it is supposed to be widesread and common in the UK!
Leafy Brain is a jelly fungus - tremella, the generic name means trembling - a reference to the wobbly-jelly-like structure of fungi within this grouping. The specific epithet foliacea means folded or wrinkled like leaves. Initially disc-like, the fruitbody develops irregular convoluted folds with rounded margins. Individual fruitbodies grow to between 2 and 20cm across. The leaf-like clusters of folded lobes are usually reddish-brown or pale pinkish-brown but sometimes reddish orange; gelatinous when damp, turning dark and shriveling to an inconspicuous fraction of its former size during very dry weather.
This jelly fungus grows on dead timber of broadleaf trees and conifers. It is not the dead timber that Tremella foliacea consumes but rather a kind of bracket or crust fungus that itself has been feeding on the wood. Tremella foliacea must therefore be classed as a parasitic rather than saprobic species. In Britain (and probably elsewhere) it attacks Hairy Curtain Crust Stereum hirsutum. It can be found throughout the year, but it is most visible in autumn and winter.