Tremellodendron pallidum

[ Basidiomycetes > Tremellales > Exidiaceae > Tremellodendron ... ]

by Michael Kuo

In my area, Tremellodendron pallidum is by far the most common of the coral mushrooms--except that it's not, taxonomically speaking, a "coral mushroom." Believe it or not, mycologists place it with the jelly fungi, on the basis of its longitudinally walled basidia. This has led some authors to give Tremellodendron pallidum the common name "False Coral."

Tremellodendron pallidum takes forever and a day to develop, and is often seen in its primordial stage just after morel season, in spring. At this point it looks more or less like (sorry) bird droppings on the forest floor. Within a few weeks, however, it has begun to develop an approximation of the fruiting body to come. Weeks later, it is tough and sturdy--and still growing. Some specimens continue growing well into late summer or fall, and often lose their pristine whiteness and begin to demonstrate the colors of whatever substrate they are growing in.

Description:

Ecology: Saprobic; growing alone or gregariously on the ground under hardwoods; spring through late fall; widely distributed east of the Great Plains (also reported from New Mexico and Texas).

Fruiting Body: A mass of flattened and fused branches; up to 12 cm high and 15 cm across; white, but often developing sordid colors in age, or greenish hues from algae; flesh very tough and cartilaginous.

Spore Print: White.

Microscopic Features: Spores 7-12.5 x 4-6 µ; sausage shaped; smooth. Basidia longitudinally cruciate-septate; ovoid; to 14 x 10 µ.

REFERENCES: (Schweinitz) Burt, 1915. (Saccardo, 1888; Lowy, 1971; Smith, Smith & Weber, 1981; Phillips, 1991/2005; Lincoff, 1992; Metzler & Metzler, 1992; Barron, 1999; Roody, 2003; McNeil, 2006; Miller & Miller, 2006.) Herb. Kuo 06010401, 07020706.

Tremellodendron schweinitzii is a synonym.

Further Online Information:

Tremellodendron pallidum at Roger's Mushrooms

© MushroomExpert.Com

Cite this page as:

Kuo, M. (2004, July). Tremellodendron pallidum. Retrieved from the MushroomExpert.Com Web site: http://www.mushroomexpert.com/tremellodendron_pallidum.html