Curious orange lichen

[Tozer]

Found this small orange fungus growing on a twig - any ideas? Would very much like to know what it is.

Thanks!

Lucy

[Lancashire Lad]

Hi, and welcome to WAB.

This is definitely a fungus (rather than a lichen) and is Tremella mesenterica - Yellow Brain (which does look orange when it dries), or possibly one of its very close relatives. (eg. Tremella auriantia).

These fungi are parasitic on other types of fungi, although the fungus that is being parasitized, is often very hard to find once the Tremella has grown.

(If that small light coloured semi-circular patch just to bottom left of the largest fruitbody is Hairy Curtain Crust - Stereum hirsutum, then the orange fungus here will almost certainly be Tremella auriantia).

Regards,
Mike.

[poschiavanus]

Hi Lucy,

This looks like Tremella mesenterica aka Yellow Brain Fungus to me. It is not a lichen, but parasitises another wood decay fungus in the genus Peniophora.

Posch