saprophytic jelly fungus on beech

[Phil Dye]

Dear all,

This was found living in a cavity on a mature beech tree in S.Gloucerstershire. It has a jelly-like texture and the underside is velvety with a white rim. The upper side is fawn to pale green and when cut in half the inside is a transluscent jelly.

Any ideas?

Kind regards

Phil

[Lancashire Lad]

Hi Phil, and welcome to WAB.

I think this could be Tripe Fungus - Auricularia mesenterica
(But I've been wrong many many times ).

Regards,
Mike.

[diggleken]

Originally Posted by Lancashire Lad

Hi Phil, and welcome to WAB.

I think this could be Tripe Fungus - Auricularia mesenterica
(But I've been wrong many many times ).

Regards,
Mike.

So have I!
But that call looks very reasonable to me Mike.
Cheers
Ken
AND, welcome to WAB Phil................enjoy your stay!

[Ditiola]

Hi Phil & welcome

Looks like Auricularia mesenterica to me too, but I am also now very careful not to say Definitely for anything!

Peter

[cybershot]

Welcome to WAB Phil and I would say your example compares very favourably with the specimen of Auricularia mesenterica which I found on an elm log yesterday:



David

[mollisia]

Hello,

how do you see that it is living saprophytic?

best regards,
Andreas

P.S.: I agree 100% with Auricularia mesenterica, although it can hardly be correct, as A. mesenterica is said to live parasitic .

[cybershot]

I note the oxymoron Andreas, however more than one reference indicates that this species is both saprophytic, i.e. depending on dead or rotting branches and logs of broad leaf trees (elm, beech, maple etc) for their food, and, less commonly, parasitic, i.e. depending on living wood.

Or am I up a gum tree?

David

[fairplay]

I am sure I have seen this always on large , long dead logs.
In the photo shown, I would imagine it is feeding on the dead 'die back' wood in the cavity.

Neil.

[mollisia]

Hello,

in my (limited) literature about that species it always is assigned to "parasitic on already weakended trees, also saprobiontic". E.g. in KRIEGLSTEINER "Die Großpilze Baden-Württembergs". I always understood, that A. mesenterica is one of those not very agressiv parasitic fungi, which can attack on already weakened trees and is still able to live a certain time (may be a very long time ...) after its death in saprobiontic way.

But I have niether much literature nor much knowledge about aphyllophorales, so it may well be possible that i can live truely saprobiontic.

best regards,
Andreas

[Phil Dye]

Originally Posted by mollisia

Hello,

how do you see that it is living saprophytic?

best regards,
Andreas

P.S.: I agree 100% with Auricularia mesenterica, although it can hardly be correct, as A. mesenterica is said to live parasitic .

The fungus was in a cavity living on dead/decaying wood. It was an assumption.

Regards

Phil