cornea

Small Stagshorn

Calocera cornea, commonly known as the Small Stagshorn, is a saprobic jelly fungus belonging to the order Dacrymycetales. Despite its clavarioid (club-like) appearance which resembles true coral fungi, it is distinguished by its gelatinous, rubbery texture when moist, which becomes hard and horny upon drying. The fruiting bodies typically appear as simple, unbranched, tapering cylinders (occasionally forked at the tips) ranging from bright yellow to orange-yellow, often growing in gregarious swarms on decaying wood. Unlike many jelly fungi that form amorphous blobs, C. cornea maintains a distinct vertical structure. Microscopically, this species is characterized by the 'tuning fork' basidia (Y-shaped) typical of the Dacrymycetaceae family. The spores are hyaline, smooth, and allantoid (sausage-shaped), usually developing a single septum (cross-wall) upon maturity. Ecologically, it serves as a white-rot fungus, contributing to the decomposition of decorticated (barkless) hardwood logs. It is frequently confused with Calocera viscosa, which is larger, distinctly branched, and grows on conifer wood.