''Exidia crenata'' is a

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

fungus A fungus (: fungi , , , or ; or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and mold (fungus), molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as one ...

in the family

Auriculariaceae The Auriculariaceae are a family (biology), family of fungi in the order (biology), order Auriculariales. Species within the family were formerly referred to the "heterobasidiomycetes" or "jelly fungi", since many have gelatinous basidiocarps (fr ...

. It has the English name of amber jelly roll.

Basidiocarps In fungi, a basidiocarp, basidiome, or basidioma () is the sporocarp of a basidiomycete, the multicellular structure on which the spore-producing hymenium is borne. Basidiocarps are characteristic of the hymenomycetes; rusts and smuts do no ...

(fruit bodies) 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.

Taxonomy

The species was originally described from North Carolina in 1822 by German-American

mycologist Mycology is the branch of biology concerned with the study of fungi, including their taxonomy, genetics, biochemical properties, and use by humans. Fungi can be a source of tinder, food, traditional medicine, as well as entheogens, poison, and ...

Lewis David de Schweinitz Lewis David de Schweinitz (13 February 1780 – 8 February 1834) was a German-American botanist and mycologist from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Considered the "Father of North American Mycology," he also made significant contributions to botany. ...

as ''Tremella crenata''. It was transferred to the genus '' Exidia'' by

Fries French fries, or simply fries, also known as chips, and finger chips (Indian English), are ''List of culinary knife cuts#Batonnet, batonnet'' or ''Julienning, julienne''-cut deep frying, deep-fried potatoes of disputed origin. They are prepa ...

in the same year. ''Exidia crenata'' was widely considered a synonym of the European '' Exidia recisa'' until

molecular A molecule is a group of two or more atoms that are held together by attractive forces known as chemical bonds; depending on context, the term may or may not include ions that satisfy this criterion. In quantum physics, organic chemistry, ...

research, based on

cladistic Cladistics ( ; from Ancient Greek 'branch') is an approach to biological classification in which organisms are categorized in groups ("clades") based on hypotheses of most recent common ancestry. The evidence for hypothesized relationships is ...

analysis of

DNA sequences A nucleic acid sequence is a succession of bases within the nucleotides forming alleles within a DNA (using GACT) or RNA (GACU) molecule. This succession is denoted by a series of a set of five different letters that indicate the order of the ...

, showed that the American species is distinct.

Description

The gelatinous fruit bodies are

amber Amber is fossilized tree resin. Examples of it have been appreciated for its color and natural beauty since the Neolithic times, and worked as a gemstone since antiquity."Amber" (2004). In Maxine N. Lurie and Marc Mappen (eds.) ''Encyclopedia ...

, wide, and thick. They can be translucent and tend to be moist and/or glossy. The

spore print 300px, Making a spore print of the mushroom ''Volvariella volvacea'' shown in composite: (photo lower half) mushroom cap laid on white and dark paper; (photo upper half) cap removed after 24 hours showing warm orange ("tussock") color spore print. ...

is white.

Similar species

Similar species include '' E. recisa'' and members of the genera ''

Auricularia ''Auricularia'' is a genus of fungi in the family (biology), family Auriculariaceae. Basidiocarps (fruit bodies) are typically gelatinous and ear-shaped, with a slightly downy to conspicuously hirsute upper surface and an under surface that is s ...

'' and ''

Phaeotremella ''Phaeotremella'' is a genus of fungi in the family Phaeotremellaceae. All ''Phaeotremella'' species are parasites of other fungi and produce anamorphic yeast states. Basidiocarps (fruit bodies), when produced, are gelatinous and are colloquially ...

''.

Habitat and distribution

''Exidia crenata'' is a wood-rotting species, typically found on dead attached twigs and branches of broadleaf trees, particularly oak. It is widely distributed in eastern North America, where it can be found from September through May, thriving in winter.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q107674024 Auriculariales Fungi described in 1822 Fungi of North America Fungus species Taxa named by Lewis David de Schweinitz