A small, bright yellow-orange, gelatinous jelly fungus shaped like a cone or shallow cup, growing from cracks in bark-free conifer wood. It is a 'snowbank' fungus of western mountains, appearing as the snow melts in spring and early summer. Its distinct upper surface and cone shape separate it from the blob-like Dacrymyces species.
Edibility unknown and of no practical value because of its small size; some sources call it edible but bland, while others list it as inedible.
Never eat a wild mushroom based on a web page — confirm with an expert.
Habitat
Saprobic on decaying, barkless conifer wood such as downed pines and firs, emerging from cracks; scattered to clustered. Spring after snowmelt, which at high elevations may be summer.
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Western North America from the Rocky Mountains west, mainly at higher elevations (Sierra Nevada and Coast Ranges in California, Colorado, Pacific Northwest, Alaska). Also reported from South America, Iran and Europe; the Swedish record is unconfirmed.
Characteristics
Fruitbody: 4-20 mm (up to 2.5 cm) across, cone- to top- or cup-shaped, attached by a narrowed pseudostem; upper surface yellowish orange, bald and slightly sticky; underside with fine hairs. Flesh: gelatinous, softly rubbery. Spores: cylindric to sausage-shaped, smooth, becoming 2-4 septate, about 11-18 x 4-6 um (MushroomExpert; Wikipedia).
