Species details
Leafy brain
Phaeotremella frondosa
Inedible
Photo: Huafang · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Photo source · License
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Description
A gelatinous, trembling pale- to dark-brown fungus made up of many crowded, ear-like, folded lobes.
Identification features
The fruitbody is thin, semi-translucent and composed of crowded brown lobes. In wet weather it is gelatinous and elastic; when dry it becomes cartilaginous and darker. There is no stem.
Identification checklist
Look for brown gelatinous, ear-like folded lobes without a stem on dead deciduous wood.
How to separate similar species
Brown jelly fungi can be very similar. Substrate, lobe shape and, when needed, microscopic characters are important for reliable identification.
Habitat
Grows on dead trunks, branches and stumps of deciduous trees, especially during wet periods from summer to winter, but may occur year-round.
Fruiting period
July, August, September, October, November, December