Exidia glandulosa

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Exidia glandulosa
Black Witches' Butter - Exidia glandulosa (26170322375).jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Basidiomycota
Class: Agaricomycetes
Order: Auriculariales
Family: Auriculariaceae
Genus: Exidia
Species:
E. glandulosa
Binomial name
Exidia glandulosa
(Bull.) Fr. (1822)
Synonyms
  • Tremella arborea Huds. (1778)
  • Tremella atra O.F.Müll. (1782)
  • Tremella glandulosaBull. (1789)
  • Tremella spiculosa Pers. (1796)
  • Exidia truncataFr. (1822)

Exidia glandulosa is a species of fungus in the family Auriculariaceae. In the UK, it has the recommended English name of witch's butter [1] . In North America it has variously been called black witches' butter, black jelly roll [2] , or warty jelly fungus [3] . It is a common, wood-rotting species in Europe, typically growing on dead attached branches of oak. The gelatinous basidiocarps (fruit bodies) are up to 3 cm (1.2 in) wide, shiny, black and blister-like, and grow singly or in clusters. Its occurrence elsewhere is uncertain because of confusion with the related species, Exidia nigricans .

Contents

Taxonomy

The species was originally described from France as Tremella glandulosa by Bulliard in 1789. [4] It was subsequently placed in Exidia by Fries in 1822. [5] Fries, however, modified Bulliard's species concept to include a second, effused, coalescing species—the name Exidia glandulosa serving for both. This combined concept was used until Neuhoff separated the two species in 1936. Unfortunately, Neuhoff gave the name Exidia glandulosa to the effused species, adopting the name Exidia truncata for Bulliard's original species. This error was pointed out by Donk in 1966, who proposed the name Exidia plana for the effused species, [6] now replaced by Exidia nigricans . [7]

Molecular research has shown that Exidia glandulosa and E. nigricans, though similar, are distinct. [8]

Description

Exidia glandulosa
Information icon.svg
Smooth icon.pngSmooth hymenium
No cap icon.svgNo distinct cap
NA cap icon.svg Hymenium attachment is irregular or not applicable
NA cap icon.svgLacks a stipe
Transparent spore print icon.svg
 Spore print is white
Saprotrophic fungus.svgEcology is saprotrophic
Mycomorphbox Question.pngEdibility is unknown

Exidia glandulosa forms dark sepia to blackish, rubbery-gelatinous fruit bodies that are top-shaped (like an inverted cone) and around 3 cm (1.2 in) across (sometimes fusing into masses some 20 cm in length). [9] They are firm when fresh, but become lax and distorted with age or in wet weather. The fruit bodies occur singly or in small clusters. The upper, spore-bearing surface is shiny and dotted with small pimples or pegs. The undersurface is smooth and matt at first, but develops a dense covering of small, gelatinous spines. The fruit bodies are attached to the wood at the base. The spore print is white. [10] When the fruit bodies are dried they can shrink to form a flattened black crust. [3]

Microscopic characters

The microscopic characters are typical of the genus Exidia . The basidia are ellipsoid, septate, 15–25 by 8–13  μm. The spores are allantoid (sausage-shaped), with dimensions of 14–19 by 4.5–5.5 μm. [10]

Spores of Exidia glandulosa Exidia glandulosa spores 400x.JPG
Spores of Exidia glandulosa

Similar species

Exidia nigricans Exidia sp.jpg
Exidia nigricans
Bulgaria inquinans Bulgaria inquinans volwassen.jpg
Bulgaria inquinans

Exidia glandulosa is frequently confused with Exidia nigricans. The two are similar, but E. nigricans produces button-shaped fruit bodies in clusters that quickly become deformed and coalesce, forming an effused, lobed mass that can be 10 cm (3.9 in) or more across. The two species are indistinguishable microscopically, but DNA research indicates they are distinct. [8]

The ascomycete Bulgaria inquinans forms similar, rubbery-gelatinous, blackish fruit bodies on oak. Their upper surfaces are entirely smooth, however, and they produce copious black (not white) spore prints, often leaving a black stain if wiped with the hand. [11]

Habitat and distribution

Exidia glandulosa is a wood-rotting species, typically found on dead attached branches of broadleaf trees, especially oak, occasionally hazel or beech. It is a pioneer species capable of colonizing living or recently dead wood. A study of the wood decay process in attached oak branches showed that E. glandulosa is a member of a community of eight basidiomycetous fungi consistently associated with the decay of dying branches on living trees. Specifically, its role is to disintegrate the tissue of the vascular cambium, which loosens the attached bark. [12] It persists for some while on fallen branches and logs. Fruit bodies are normally produced in the autumn and winter. Its global distribution is uncertain because of confusion with E. nigricans, but it is present in Europe at least.

Edibility

While nonpoisonous, one field guide says Exidia glandulosa is inedible, [13] though it has also been reported to be edible. [14]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jelly fungus</span> Group of fungi

Jelly fungi are a paraphyletic group of several heterobasidiomycete fungal orders from different classes of the subphylum Agaricomycotina: Tremellales, Dacrymycetales, Auriculariales and Sebacinales. These fungi are so named because their foliose, irregularly branched fruiting body is, or appears to be, the consistency of jelly. Actually, many are somewhat rubbery and gelatinous. When dried, jelly fungi become hard and shriveled; when exposed to water, they return to their original form.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Auriculariales</span> Order of fungi

The Auriculariales are an order of fungi in the class Agaricomycetes. Species within the order were formerly referred to the "heterobasidiomycetes" or "jelly fungi", since many have gelatinous basidiocarps that produce spores on septate basidia. Around 200 species are known worldwide, placed in six or more families, though the status of these families is currently uncertain. All species in the Auriculariales are believed to be saprotrophic, most growing on dead wood. Fruit bodies of several Auricularia species are cultivated for food on a commercial scale, especially in China.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Auriculariaceae</span> Family of fungi

The Auriculariaceae are a family of fungi in the order Auriculariales. Species within the family were formerly referred to the "heterobasidiomycetes" or "jelly fungi", since many have gelatinous basidiocarps that produce spores on septate basidia. Around 100 species are known worldwide. All are believed to be saprotrophic, most growing on dead wood. Fruit bodies of several Auricularia species are cultivated for food on a commercial scale, especially in China.

<i>Auricularia</i> Genus of fungi

Auricularia is a genus of fungi in the family Auriculariaceae. Basidiocarps are typically gelatinous and ear-shaped, with a slightly downy to conspicuously hirsute upper surface and an under surface that is smooth, wrinkled or veined. All species grow on wood. Several Auricularia species are edible and commercially cultivated on a large scale in China and East Asia.

<i>Exidia</i> Genus of fungi

Exidia is a genus of fungi in the family Auriculariaceae. The species are saprotrophic, occurring in attached or recently fallen dead wood, and produce gelatinous basidiocarps. The fruit bodies are diverse, pustular, lobed, button-shaped or cup-shaped. Several species, including the type species Exidia glandulosa, have sterile pegs or pimples on their spore-bearing surface. The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution and around 20 species are currently recognized worldwide. Initial molecular research indicates the genus is artificial.

<i>Exidia nigricans</i> Species of fungus

Exidia nigricans is a species of fungus in the family Auriculariaceae. In the UK, it has the recommended English name of warlock's butter. It produces black, gelatinous basidiocarps and is a common, wood-rotting species throughout the Northern Hemisphere, typically growing on dead attached branches of broadleaf trees. It has been much confused with Exidia glandulosa.

<i>Guepinia</i> Genus of fungi

Guepinia is a genus of fungus in the Auriculariales order. It is a monotypic genus, containing the single species Guepinia helvelloides, commonly known as the apricot jelly. The fungus produces salmon-pink, ear-shaped, gelatinous fruit bodies that grow solitarily or in small tufted groups on soil, usually associated with buried rotting wood. The fruit bodies are up to 10 cm (4 in) tall and up to 17 cm wide; the stalks are not well-differentiated from the cap. It has a white spore deposit, and the oblong to ellipsoid spores measure 9–11 by 5–6 micrometers.

<i>Exidia recisa</i> Species of fungus

Exidia recisa is a species of fungus in the family Auriculariaceae. In the UK, it has the recommended English name of amber jelly. Basidiocarps are gelatinous, orange-brown, and turbinate (top-shaped). It typically grows on dead attached twigs and branches of willow and is found in Europe and possibly elsewhere, though it has long been confused with the North American Exidia crenata.

<i>Exidia thuretiana</i> Species of fungus

Exidia thuretiana is a jelly fungus in the family Auriculariaceae. The fruit bodies are white and gelatinous with brain-like folds. It is a common, wood-rotting species in Europe, typically growing on dead attached or fallen branches of broadleaf trees, especially beech.

<i>Myxarium nucleatum</i> Species of fungus

Myxarium nucleatum is a species of fungus in the family Hyaloriaceae. In the UK, it has been given the recommended English name of crystal brain. The fruit bodies are watery white, pustular or lobed, and gelatinous with small, white, mineral inclusions visible to the naked eye. It is a common, wood-rotting species in Europe, typically growing on dead attached or fallen branches of broadleaf trees. It is currently not clear whether collections from North America and elsewhere represent the same species.

<i>Peniophora quercina</i> Species of fungus

Peniophora quercina is a species of wood-decay fungus in the family Peniophoraceae. It produces fruit bodies that vary in appearance depending on whether they are wet or dry. The wet fruit bodies are waxy and lilac, and attached strongly to the wood on which they grow. When dry, the edges curl up and reveal the dark underside, while the surface becomes crusty and pink. P. quercina is the type species of the genus Peniophora, with the species being reclassified as a member of the genus upon the latter's creation by Mordecai Cubitt Cooke. P. quercina is found primarily in Europe, where it can be encountered all year. Though primarily growing upon dead wood, especially oak, it is also capable of growing upon still-living wood.

<i>Hohenbuehelia petaloides</i> Species of fungus

Hohenbuehelia petaloides, commonly known as the leaflike oyster or the shoehorn oyster mushroom, is a species of agaric fungus belonging to the family Pleurotaceae. The fruit bodies have pale to brown funnel-shaped caps with decurrent gills and are considered edible. The species has a cosmopolitan distribution and is found near the decaying wood it feeds on.

<i>Myxarium</i> Genus of fungi

Myxarium is a genus of fungi in the family Hyaloriaceae. Basidiocarps are gelatinous and effused or pustular. The genus is cosmopolitan. All species grow on dead wood or dead herbaceous stems.

<i>Exidia crenata</i> Species of fungus

Exidia crenata is a species of fungus in the family Auriculariaceae. It has the English name of amber jelly roll. Basidiocarps are gelatinous, brown to orange-brown, and turbinate (top-shaped). It typically grows on dead attached twigs and branches of broadleaved trees and is found in North America.

<i>Exidia repanda</i> Species of fungus

Exidia repanda is a species of fungus in the family Auriculariaceae. In the UK, it has the recommended English name of birch jelly. Basidiocarps are gelatinous, orange-brown, and button-shaped. It typically grows on dead attached twigs and branches of birch and has been recorded from Europe, North America, and Japan.

<i>Exidia candida</i> Species of fungus

Exidia candida is a species of fungus in the family Auriculariaceae. Basidiocarps are gelatinous, whitish, and cushioned-shaped at first, becoming effused and corrugated.

Exidia purpureocinerea is a species of fungus in the family Auriculariaceae. Basidiocarps are gelatinous, densely covered in small spines, purple-grey, and cushioned-shaped at first, becoming effused. The species occurs in southern Africa on dead wood.

Exidia umbrinella is a species of fungus in the family Auriculariaceae. Basidiocarps are gelatinous, orange-brown, and turbinate (top-shaped). It grows on dead attached twigs and branches of conifers in Europe.

<i>Exidia pithya</i> Species of fungus

Exidia pithya is a species of fungus in the family Auriculariaceae. Basidiocarps are gelatinous, black, and button-shaped at first, later coalescing and drying to form tar-like patches. The species grows on dead branches of conifers in continental Europe.

Exidia zelleri is a species of fungus in the family Auriculariaceae. Basidiocarps are gelatinous, pale violaceous grey to grey-brown, button-shaped at first then coalescing and becoming irregularly effused. It grows on dead branches of broadleaved trees and is known from north-western North America.

References

  1. ↑ Holden L. (2024). "English names for fungi". British Mycological Society . Retrieved 15 August 2024.
  2. ↑ Arora D. (1986). Mushrooms Demystified: a Comprehensive Guide to the Fleshy Fungi. Berkeley, California: Ten Speed Press. pp. 672–73. ISBN   0-89815-169-4 . Retrieved 2010-03-13.
  3. 1 2 McKnight VB, McKnight KH. (1987). A Field Guide to Mushrooms: North America. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. p. 66. ISBN   0-395-91090-0 . Retrieved 2010-03-13.
  4. ↑ Bulliard P. (1791). Histoire des champignons de la France. I (in French). Paris: l'auteur. p. 220. Retrieved 2010-03-13.
  5. ↑ Fries EM. (1822). Systema Mycologicum (in Latin). Vol. 2. Lundae: Ex Officina Berlingiana. p. 224. Retrieved 2010-03-13.
  6. ↑ Donk MA. (1966). "Check list of European hymenomycetous heterobasidiae". Persoonia. 4: 145–335.
  7. ↑ Roberts P. (2009). "Exidia nigricans: a new and legitimate name for Exidia plana". Mycotaxon. 109: 219–20. doi: 10.5248/109.219 .
  8. 1 2 Weiss M, Oberwinkler F. (2001). "Phylogenetic relationships in Auriculariales and related groups – hypotheses derived from nuclear ribosomal DNA sequences". Mycological Research. 105 (4): 403–15. doi:10.1017/S095375620100363X.
  9. ↑ Davis, R. Michael; Sommer, Robert; Menge, John A. (2012). Field Guide to Mushrooms of Western North America. Berkeley: University of California Press. p. 306. ISBN   978-0-520-95360-4. OCLC   797915861.
  10. 1 2 Breitenbach J, Kranzlin F. (1985). Fungi of Switzerland: Non Gilled Fungi: Heterobasidiomycetes, Aphyllophorales, Gastromycetes. Vol. 2. Mad River Press. p. 66. ISBN   978-0-916422-67-7. (as E. truncata)
  11. ↑ Breitenbach J, Kranzlin F. (1984). Fungi of Switzerland: A contribution to the knowledge of the fungal flora of Switzerland. Vol. 1. Verlag Mykologia. p. 156. ISBN   978-3-85604-205-9.
  12. ↑ Boddy L, Rayner ADM. (1982). "Ecological roles of Basidiomycetes forming decay communities in attached oak branches". New Phytologist. 93 (1): 77–88. doi: 10.1111/j.1469-8137.1983.tb02694.x . JSTOR   2431897.
  13. ↑ Miller Jr., Orson K.; Miller, Hope H. (2006). North American Mushrooms: A Field Guide to Edible and Inedible Fungi. Guilford, CN: FalconGuides. p. 497. ISBN   978-0-7627-3109-1.
  14. ↑ Alan E. Besette; et al. (2007). Mushrooms of the Southeastern United States. Syracuse University Press. p. 305. ISBN   9780815631125 . Retrieved 2014-01-19.
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