Dacryopinax spathularia (Schwein.) G.W. Martin

Fan-shaped jelly fungus

About plant names...

This fungus is a common North American native. Spathul- means "little spade" or "little blade," a reference to its shape.

Identification: The fruiting bodies are less than ⅞" (2.5 cm) tall, growing in clusters or rows along cracks in decaying wood; often the wood has lost its bark. Each fruiting body has a curved fan-like shape, thin in cross-section and widening toward the top. They are translucent and bright yellow-orange in color, and are gelatinous to the touch.

Edibility: Edible. Used occasionally in Chinese cuisine. But these can be confused with inedible species, so don't try them if you are not certain of their identity.

Online References:

AmericanMushrooms.com

by Gary Emberger at Messiah College

The Mushroom Observer

Wisconsin Mushrooms

Wikimedia Commons

The Australian Government's Australian National Botanic Gardens

References:

Barron, George, Mushrooms of Northeast North America, Lone Pine Publishing, 1999, p. 103

9/26/2011 · Pearl Hill State Park, Townsend, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 5 × 4" (13 × 9.9 cm) ID is uncertain

8/29/2023 · Stetser Preserve, Jefferson, Maine
≈ 4½ × 3½" (11 × 9.7 cm)

Dacryopinax spathularia description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 5 Sep 2023.

© FloraFinder.org. All rights reserved.

8/5/2018
≈ 6 × 5" (15 × 13 cm)

9/11/2021 · Otter Brook Preserve, Harpswell, Maine
≈ 3 × 1¾" (8 × 4.9 cm)

11/6/2016 · Willard Brook State Park, Ashby, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 2½ × 1¾" (6.9 × 4.8 cm)

9/26/2011 · Pearl Hill State Park, Townsend, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 3 × 3" (8.3 × 7.8 cm) ID is uncertain

9/26/2011 · Pearl Hill State Park, Townsend, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 2½ × 2½" (6.4 × 6.6 cm) ID is uncertain