crenata

Amber Jelly Roll

Exidia crenata is a gelatinous wood-rotting fungus characterized by its amber to reddish-brown, translucent fruiting bodies. Initially appearing as individual button-shaped or top-shaped lobes, they often coalesce into larger, irregular, brain-like masses as they mature. The texture is firm yet gelatinous, becoming rubbery when wet and shrinking to a thin, hard crust when dry, only to rehydrate and revive with moisture. It is a common winter species in North America, often persisting through freeze-thaw cycles. Microscopically, the species features allantoid (sausage-shaped) spores and longitudinally septate basidia, typical of the order Auriculariales. It is a saprobe that plays an ecological role in decomposing dead hardwoods, particularly favoring branches of oak, willow, and alder. While historically confused with the European Exidia recisa, recent molecular studies have established E. crenata as a distinct North American species.