#816 - 825 - Jelly Fungus, Crusts, and Polypores
#816 - Tremella sp. - Golden Jelly Fungus
Something from the Tremella mesenterica group (which includes T. aurantia).
T. mesenterica , AKA yellow brain, golden jelly fungus, yellow trembler, or witches’ butter, is a parasite of wood-rotting crust fungi in the genus Peniophora. It expands from crack in dead wood in wet weather. Edible, but bland and tasteless.
Wandi, Perth
#817 - Tremella sp. - Jelly Fungus
Another Tremella, growing on a fallen tree about 50 meters from the Golden Jelly Fungus. This one I photographed last year, but it is back this winter.
#818 - Calocera - Yellow Stagshorn Fungus
These are young - given them a little longer and these jelly fungi grown into branching or tapered growths. The 15 species are quite widespread, and grow on rotting wood.
Tasteless, but some species have been used as a garnish.
Glen Forrest, Perth
#819 - Corticioid Paint Fungus
Basidiomycete fungi that from crustlike growths on the undersides of dead tree trunks or branches - the ‘resupinate’ growth form. Commonly known as colloquially called crust fungi or patch fungi. Originally such fungi were referred to the genus Corticium and the family Corticiaceae, but it is now known that corticioid species - over a 1000 of them - are not closely related.
Kardinya, Perth
#820 - Hjortstamia crassa - Purple Skin Fungus
Found under the bark of a fallen gumtree, along with a large huntsman spider, centipedes, etc. IDed thanks to urbpan's blog :) Apparently it’s now Lopharia crassa, but the fungus has a ridiculously large number of synonyms, and the way genetic evidence has split up the Corticicoid fungi has not helped matters.
Jarrahdale, Perth
#821 - Coltricia cinnamomea - Tough Cinnamon Polypore
A leathery, vase-shaped polypore, often with a long stalk, with a satiny upper surface marked in concentric cinnamon-brown rings.
Inedible, but can be dried, retaining most of its attractive form, and used in decorative arrangements.
West Coolup, south of Perth
#822 - Hexagonia vesparia - Wasp Nest Polypore
A small polypore with large pores. Wikipedia claims Hexagonia hydnoides is a plant pathogen, which may also be the case here.
Hexagonia is also a genus of Ground Beetle, which you can apparently get away with under the rules of biological nomenclature - although this fungus has been renamed many times anyway. Hexagonia is also a chess variant published in 1864, but none of you came here to learn that.
Baldivis, Peth
#823 - Laetiporus portentosus - White Punk
A large polypore that causes heart-rot in eucalypts. Older fruiting bodies are usually so riddled with insects that they resemble a sponge.
Used by Australia’s indigenous peoples as tinder, and to carry fire, since they’ll smoulder all day. A related species, Chicken-of-the-Woods, is a desirable and highly edible fungus, but needs to be well cooked.
Meadow Springs, Perth
#824 - Phellinus sp.
A large woody polypore I found growing on the underside of a living tree trunk in South Yunderup. A number of Phellinus species cause rot in trees, and can kill them rapidly.
From Aboriginal Use of Fungi
The smoke from burning fruit bodies was inhaled by those with sore throats. Scrapings from slightly charred fruiting bodies were drunk with water to treat coughing, sore throats, “bad chests”, fevers and diarrhoea. Unfortunately there is some uncertainty about which species of Phellinus were used.
One Phellinus found in Hainan Island in southern China produced a fruiting body 20 y old, and its estimated weight between 400-500 kg - the largest ever recorded.
#825 - Pycnoporus coccineus - Orange Bracket
Very common in Australian bushland, but the species is found in other parts of the world as well. Grows on dead wood, often in profusion. Starts off almost scarlet, but fades to white with age.
According to Aboriginal Use of Fungi
In Australia there are two species - Pycnoporus coccineus and Pycnoporus sanguineus, with overlapping distributions. Moreover, the two species are similar in appearance, so without specimens there will be doubt as to which Pycnoporus species is meant in any particular account. One or other Pycnoporus is used medicinally in a variety of ways by desert Aborigines - “sucked to cure sore mouths”, rubbed inside the mouths of babies with oral thrush, rubbed on sore lips. It has also been used as a teething ring. Out of curiosity, and after hearing of the Aboriginal use of this fungus, one person in Canberra chewed on a Pycnoporus specimen to see if it would have any effect on a small mouth ulcer. The ulcer soon disappeared, so at least the fungus had no detrimental effect. Of course, in this case, there is still the question of whether chewing the fungus cured the ulcer or whether its disappearance was coincidental. Two antibiotic compounds have been found in Pycnoporus coccineus.
Wellard, Perth
Something from the Tremella mesenterica group (which includes T. aurantia).
T. mesenterica , AKA yellow brain, golden jelly fungus, yellow trembler, or witches’ butter, is a parasite of wood-rotting crust fungi in the genus Peniophora. It expands from crack in dead wood in wet weather. Edible, but bland and tasteless.
Wandi, Perth
#817 - Tremella sp. - Jelly Fungus
Another Tremella, growing on a fallen tree about 50 meters from the Golden Jelly Fungus. This one I photographed last year, but it is back this winter.
#818 - Calocera - Yellow Stagshorn Fungus
These are young - given them a little longer and these jelly fungi grown into branching or tapered growths. The 15 species are quite widespread, and grow on rotting wood.
Tasteless, but some species have been used as a garnish.
Glen Forrest, Perth
#819 - Corticioid Paint Fungus
Basidiomycete fungi that from crustlike growths on the undersides of dead tree trunks or branches - the ‘resupinate’ growth form. Commonly known as colloquially called crust fungi or patch fungi. Originally such fungi were referred to the genus Corticium and the family Corticiaceae, but it is now known that corticioid species - over a 1000 of them - are not closely related.
Kardinya, Perth
#820 - Hjortstamia crassa - Purple Skin Fungus
Found under the bark of a fallen gumtree, along with a large huntsman spider, centipedes, etc. IDed thanks to urbpan's blog :) Apparently it’s now Lopharia crassa, but the fungus has a ridiculously large number of synonyms, and the way genetic evidence has split up the Corticicoid fungi has not helped matters.
Jarrahdale, Perth
#821 - Coltricia cinnamomea - Tough Cinnamon Polypore
A leathery, vase-shaped polypore, often with a long stalk, with a satiny upper surface marked in concentric cinnamon-brown rings.
Inedible, but can be dried, retaining most of its attractive form, and used in decorative arrangements.
West Coolup, south of Perth
#822 - Hexagonia vesparia - Wasp Nest Polypore
A small polypore with large pores. Wikipedia claims Hexagonia hydnoides is a plant pathogen, which may also be the case here.
Hexagonia is also a genus of Ground Beetle, which you can apparently get away with under the rules of biological nomenclature - although this fungus has been renamed many times anyway. Hexagonia is also a chess variant published in 1864, but none of you came here to learn that.
Baldivis, Peth
#823 - Laetiporus portentosus - White Punk
A large polypore that causes heart-rot in eucalypts. Older fruiting bodies are usually so riddled with insects that they resemble a sponge.
Used by Australia’s indigenous peoples as tinder, and to carry fire, since they’ll smoulder all day. A related species, Chicken-of-the-Woods, is a desirable and highly edible fungus, but needs to be well cooked.
Meadow Springs, Perth
#824 - Phellinus sp.
A large woody polypore I found growing on the underside of a living tree trunk in South Yunderup. A number of Phellinus species cause rot in trees, and can kill them rapidly.
From Aboriginal Use of Fungi
The smoke from burning fruit bodies was inhaled by those with sore throats. Scrapings from slightly charred fruiting bodies were drunk with water to treat coughing, sore throats, “bad chests”, fevers and diarrhoea. Unfortunately there is some uncertainty about which species of Phellinus were used.
One Phellinus found in Hainan Island in southern China produced a fruiting body 20 y old, and its estimated weight between 400-500 kg - the largest ever recorded.
#825 - Pycnoporus coccineus - Orange Bracket
Very common in Australian bushland, but the species is found in other parts of the world as well. Grows on dead wood, often in profusion. Starts off almost scarlet, but fades to white with age.
According to Aboriginal Use of Fungi
In Australia there are two species - Pycnoporus coccineus and Pycnoporus sanguineus, with overlapping distributions. Moreover, the two species are similar in appearance, so without specimens there will be doubt as to which Pycnoporus species is meant in any particular account. One or other Pycnoporus is used medicinally in a variety of ways by desert Aborigines - “sucked to cure sore mouths”, rubbed inside the mouths of babies with oral thrush, rubbed on sore lips. It has also been used as a teething ring. Out of curiosity, and after hearing of the Aboriginal use of this fungus, one person in Canberra chewed on a Pycnoporus specimen to see if it would have any effect on a small mouth ulcer. The ulcer soon disappeared, so at least the fungus had no detrimental effect. Of course, in this case, there is still the question of whether chewing the fungus cured the ulcer or whether its disappearance was coincidental. Two antibiotic compounds have been found in Pycnoporus coccineus.
Wellard, Perth