Mushroom Monday
Phaeotremella frondosa
Good evening, friends,
We’re keeping it gelatinous this week and looking at another jelly fungus, Phaeotremella frondosa. This mushroom doesn’t have a common name (yet, but keep reading), although the nearly identical Phaeotremella foliacea is called the “Leafy Brain” which is appropriate. I encountered this mushroom twice last week during that interminable stretch of rainy days and overcast conditions. While this mushroom looks like just another decomposer, there’s a lot more going on inside the log than we would gather at first glance.
Fun Facts
This fungus is parasitic on fungi in the genus Stereum. You’ll notice Crowded Parchment (Stereum complicatum) growing in near proximity both above and below. I would love to get a microscopic view of the Phaeotremella mycelium tapping into the Stereum mycelium - I’m curious how they originally discovered the relationship between the two.
This fungus used to be in the genus Tremella, which means “to tremble” and refers to the gelatinous composition of the fruiting body. Recently, DNA sequencing created the new genus Phaeotremella. The prefix Phaeo- means “dark colored”, so all together we get a “dark colored trembling mushroom”. Pretty accurate. The species epithet frondosa comes from the latin frondis which means leaf/foliage and refers to the leaf-like appearance and composition of the individual lobes of the mushroom.
Interestingly, the genus Tremella was one of the original genera created by Carl Linnaeus and at the time he grouped these mushrooms in with algae and seaweed. This was long before fungi were separated from plants. That said, “Seaweed of the Woods” has a nice ring to it. It’s provocative, it makes you want to ask questions. Since “Leafy Brain” refers to the sister species Phaeotremella foliacea, I think we could make this mushroom’s Monday if we endowed them with a cool common name.
Ecology
As previously noted, the fungus is parasitic on the mycelium (the body) of Stereum, but not the actual fruiting body (the mushroom). You can find Phaeotremella wherever you find Stereum (which digest a variety of hardwoods). P. frondosa sightings peak from October through January on iNaturalist. This fungus likes to fruit in colder temps and can be found throughout temperate regions of the northern hemisphere.
The aforementioned sister species, Phaeotremella foliacea, is found on conifers (evergreens) which is interesting since the fungus supposedly gets their nutrition from Stereum, and not the wood. Perhaps the coniferous Phaeotremella is specialized to parasitize Stereum that digest conifers.
Further, it’s unclear if the Phaeotremella causes any negative effect on the Stereum, and Stereum complicatum is usually fruiting heavily whether or not the parasite is present. Like last week’s Exidia, there’s a lot more research left to be done with these jelly fungi, but for now we can touch, smell (no odor), and wonder about their relationship with the other fungi in the wood.
A monstrous thank you to everyone who signed up for Mushroom Monday premium. You put your faith in me and I won’t let you down. The first blog on beavers will be out later this week. I already went out and visited them a few times this past week so here’s a little teaser to whet our appetite.
Lunar New Year this Saturday, get ready to welcome in the year of the Dragon,
Aubrey
References
Kuo, M. (2018, August). Phaeotremella frondosa. Retrieved from the MushroomExpert.Com Web site: http://www.mushroomexpert.com/phaeotremella_frondosa.html
https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/786052-Phaeotremella-frondosa
Rad. I just found a good bunch of them nearby, either Foliacea or Frondosa or both (it was wet and cold so I didn't notice what kind of wood they were on): https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/197824086
Seaweed of the Woods has a great ring to it.