A bright yellow to orange-yellow jelly fungus with brain-like lobes, found on dead hardwood branches. It is a parasite of Peniophora crust fungi growing in the wood rather than of the wood itself. Fruit bodies shrink to a thin crust in dry weather and revive after rain.
Not poisonous, but edibility is disputed: some sources list it as inedible, others as edible but flavourless. It is used in vegetarian soups in China. It has no culinary value in Western cooking.
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Mycology is an evolving science: names, classifications and safety information change as research advances. Entries are compiled from cited sources and reviewed, but may be incomplete or out of date — check the sources, and never rely on this library alone to identify or eat a mushroom.
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On dead attached or recently fallen branches and logs of hardwoods (often oak), usually with the bark still on, where it parasitizes the mycelium of Peniophora crust fungi. Fruits in wet periods year-round; in temperate North America mostly in spring.
Distribution
Cosmopolitan in temperate and tropical regions, including Eurasia, Africa, Australia and the Americas. Widespread across North America, possibly less common in the West.
Characteristics
Fruit body: Gelatinous mass of brain-like lobes, usually 2-5 cm across (up to 7.5 cm), 1-5 cm high; surface moist, smooth, greasy or slimy when wet; deep yellow to bright yellow-orange, fading paler with age; dries to a dark orange to reddish crust. Flesh: Gelatinous, yellow. Odor and taste: Not distinctive. Spore print: Whitish to pale yellow. Spores: 10-16 x 6-12 µm, ellipsoid, smooth.
