Tremella foliacea
Encyclopedia
Tremella foliacea is a species
of fungus
producing brownish, frondose, gelatinous basidiocarps (fruit bodies). It is widespread, particularly in north temperate
regions, and is parasitic
on other species of fungi (Stereum
spp.), that grow on dead attached and recently fallen branches of broadleaf trees and conifers. Common names include leafy brain, jelly leaf, and brown witch's butter. The species is said to be edible
, but is not much valued.
The epithet "foliacea" means "leafy", with reference to the shape of the fruit bodies.
and occur in a dense gelatinous matrix. Haustorial cells arise on the hyphae, producing filaments that attach to and penetrate the hyphae of the host. The basidia are tremelloid (globose to ellipsoid, with oblique to vertical septa), 10 to 19 by 8 to 14 μm
, usually unstalked. The basidiospores are mostly ellipsoid, smooth, 6.5 to 10 by 4.5 to 8 μm, and germinate by hyphal tube or by yeast
cells.
of similar species across its range. Chen (1998) described three new species in the "foliacea" group, based on microscopic differences and on DNA sequencing
: Tremella vasifera from Germany and T. fuscosuccinea and T. neofoliacea from Taiwan. Tremella coffeicolor (synonym T. auricularia), originally described from Bermuda, is similar, but has larger basidia and spores. It is also known from the Azores, the Caribbean islands, and South America.
species (including S. rugosum, S. hirsutum
and S. sanguinolentum
), growing on the host's hyphae in the wood rather than on the host's fruit bodies. Following its hosts, fruit bodies of T. foliacea are typically found on dead, attached or recently fallen branches of broadleaf trees and conifers.
The species has a cosmopolitan distribution
and is known from North & South America, Europe, northern Asia, north Africa, Australia, and New Zealand.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of fungus
Fungus
A fungus is a member of a large group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds , as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, Fungi, which is separate from plants, animals, and bacteria...
producing brownish, frondose, gelatinous basidiocarps (fruit bodies). It is widespread, particularly in north temperate
Temperate
In geography, temperate or tepid latitudes of the globe lie between the tropics and the polar circles. The changes in these regions between summer and winter are generally relatively moderate, rather than extreme hot or cold...
regions, and is parasitic
Parasitism
Parasitism is a type of symbiotic relationship between organisms of different species where one organism, the parasite, benefits at the expense of the other, the host. Traditionally parasite referred to organisms with lifestages that needed more than one host . These are now called macroparasites...
on other species of fungi (Stereum
Stereum
Stereum is type genus of the Stereaceae family of fungi, in the Russulales order. Until recently, the genus was classified in the Corticiaceae family, of the Corticiales order. However, it was given its own family as a result of the split-up of the Corticiales. Common names for species of this...
spp.), that grow on dead attached and recently fallen branches of broadleaf trees and conifers. Common names include leafy brain, jelly leaf, and brown witch's butter. The species is said to be edible
Edible mushroom
Edible mushrooms are the fleshy and edible fruiting bodies of several species of fungi. Mushrooms belong to the macrofungi, because their fruiting structures are large enough to be seen with the naked eye. They can appear either below ground or above ground where they may be picked by hand...
, but is not much valued.
Taxonomy
Tremella foliacea was first published in 1800 by South African-born mycologist Christiaan Hendrik Persoon. He simultaneously published a second species, Tremella fimbriata, said to be distinguished by its more undulating and incised fronds. The two species have long been considered synonyms, with T. foliacea the preferred name.The epithet "foliacea" means "leafy", with reference to the shape of the fruit bodies.
Description
Fruit bodies are gelatinous, pale to dark brown, sometimes purple-brown to almost black, up to 20 cm (8 in) across, and seaweed-like (with branched, undulating fronds). Microscopically, the hyphae are clampedClamp connection
A clamp connection is a structure formed by growing hyphal cells of certain fungi. It is created to ensure each septum, or segment of hypha separated by crossed walls, receives a set of differing nuclei, which are obtained through mating of hyphae of differing sexual types...
and occur in a dense gelatinous matrix. Haustorial cells arise on the hyphae, producing filaments that attach to and penetrate the hyphae of the host. The basidia are tremelloid (globose to ellipsoid, with oblique to vertical septa), 10 to 19 by 8 to 14 μm
Micrometre
A micrometer , is by definition 1×10-6 of a meter .In plain English, it means one-millionth of a meter . Its unit symbol in the International System of Units is μm...
, usually unstalked. The basidiospores are mostly ellipsoid, smooth, 6.5 to 10 by 4.5 to 8 μm, and germinate by hyphal tube or by yeast
Yeast
Yeasts are eukaryotic micro-organisms classified in the kingdom Fungi, with 1,500 species currently described estimated to be only 1% of all fungal species. Most reproduce asexually by mitosis, and many do so by an asymmetric division process called budding...
cells.
Similar species
Tremella foliacea is variable and may represent a complexSpecies complex
A species complex is a group of closely related species, where the exact demarcation between species is often unclear or cryptic owing to their recent and usually still incomplete reproductive isolation. Ring species, superspecies and cryptic species complex are example of species complex...
of similar species across its range. Chen (1998) described three new species in the "foliacea" group, based on microscopic differences and on DNA sequencing
DNA sequencing
DNA sequencing includes several methods and technologies that are used for determining the order of the nucleotide bases—adenine, guanine, cytosine, and thymine—in a molecule of DNA....
: Tremella vasifera from Germany and T. fuscosuccinea and T. neofoliacea from Taiwan. Tremella coffeicolor (synonym T. auricularia), originally described from Bermuda, is similar, but has larger basidia and spores. It is also known from the Azores, the Caribbean islands, and South America.
Habitat and distribution
Tremella foliacea is a parasite of StereumStereum
Stereum is type genus of the Stereaceae family of fungi, in the Russulales order. Until recently, the genus was classified in the Corticiaceae family, of the Corticiales order. However, it was given its own family as a result of the split-up of the Corticiales. Common names for species of this...
species (including S. rugosum, S. hirsutum
Stereum hirsutum
Stereum hirsutum is a plant pathogen. S. hirsutum is in turn parasitised by certain other species such as the fungus Tremella aurantia. Substrates for S. hirsutum include dead limbs and trunks of both hardwoods and conifers.-References:...
and S. sanguinolentum
Stereum sanguinolentum
Stereum sanguinolentum is a species of fungus in the Stereaceae family. A plant pathogen, it causes red heart rot, a red discoloration on conifers, particularly spruce. Fruit bodies are produced on dead wood, or sometimes on dead branches of living trees. They are a thin leathery crust of the wood...
), growing on the host's hyphae in the wood rather than on the host's fruit bodies. Following its hosts, fruit bodies of T. foliacea are typically found on dead, attached or recently fallen branches of broadleaf trees and conifers.
The species has a cosmopolitan distribution
Cosmopolitan distribution
In biogeography, a taxon is said to have a cosmopolitan distribution if its range extends across all or most of the world in appropriate habitats. For instance, the killer whale has a cosmopolitan distribution, extending over most of the world's oceans. Other examples include humans, the lichen...
and is known from North & South America, Europe, northern Asia, north Africa, Australia, and New Zealand.
External links
- California Fungi – photo and description
- Mushroom Expert – photos and description