Jelly Rot

(Phlebia tremellosa)

Conservation Status
Jelly Rot
Photo by Luciearl
  IUCN Red List

not listed

 
  NatureServe

not listed

 
  Minnesota

not listed

 
           
           
           
           
           
           
           
 
Description
 
 

Jelly Rot is a wood-rotting fungus. It is found in Europe, Asia, and North and Central America. In the united States it is common from the East Coast to the Midwest and on the West Coast. It is less common in Minnesota, where it is at the western edge of its range. It obtains its nutrients from dead wood (saprobic). It grows flat (resupinate), alone or in groups, mostly on stumps and fallen branches of deciduous trees, especially oak and beech, occasionally also on wood of coniferous trees. It sometimes appears in overlapping clusters.

The fruiting body is a 2 to 4 long, ¾ to 1½ wide, irregularly shaped patch of pore surface spread out flat (effused) on a branch or log (substrate). It is pale and lies completely flat (resupinate) when young. As it matures it darkens and the upper edge folds back more than 90° creating a bracket-like cap. Adjacent patches often fuse together covering extensive areas.

The lower surface is the only visible part when no caps are present. It is yellowish to brownish-orange to pinkish-orange when young, becoming orange to red when mature. The flesh is translucent, flexible, rubbery, and somewhat jelly-like. It has a shallow, elaborate network of narrow ridges, 1 32 to 1 16 wide furrows, and crossveins. It looks something like a tube surfacebut unlike a true tube surface, spore-producing structures (basidia) cover the entire networked layer.

The caps, when present, are narrow, up to ¾ long, white to pale yellow, and densely covered with woolly hairs. There is no stem.

The flesh is very thin, whitish, and waxy or gelatinous. It is not edible.

The spore print is white.

 
     
 

Similar Species

 
 

Wrinkled Crust (Phlebia radiata) does not produce caps.

 
     
 
Habitat and Hosts
 
 

Mostly hardwoods, especially oak and beech

 
     
 
Ecology
 
 

Season

 
 

Late spring through fall

 
     
 
Distribution
 
 

Distribution Map

 

Sources

4, 24, 26, 29, 30, 77.

 
  7/21/2022      
         
 

Occurrence

 
 

Widespread and common

 
         
 
Taxonomy
 
  Kingdom Fungi (fungi)  
  Subkingdom Dikarya  
  Phylum Basidiomycota (club fungi)  
  Subphylum Agaricomycotina (jelly fungi, yeasts, and mushrooms)  
  Class Agaricomycetes (mushrooms, bracket fungi, puffballs, and allies)  
  Subclass Agaricomycetidae  
  Order Polyporales (shelf fungi)  
  Family Meruliaceae  
  Genus Phlebia  
       
 

This species was formerly classified as Merulius tremellosus. In 1984 it was transferred to the genus Phlebia. A recent DNA study (Monclavo et al., 2002) showed the the genus Phlebia is probably polyphyletic, containing unrelated species. However, Phlebia tremellosa is part of a group that clearly belongs to the genus Phlebia. The transfer has been accepted my most but not all taxonomic sources (e.g., iNaturalist).

 
       
 

Synonyms

 
 

Merulius imbricatus

Merulius spongiosus

Merulius tremellosus

Sesia tremellosa

Xylomyzon tremellosum

 
       
 

Common Names

 
 

Jelly Rot

Jelly Rot Fungus

Trembling Crust

Trembling Merulius

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Glossary

Basidium

A microscopic, club-shaped structure on the underside of the cap of club fungi that produces spores. Plural: basidia.

 

Resupinate

In fungi: referring to the fruiting body lying flat on the surface of the substrate, without a stalk or a cap.

 

Saprobic

A term often used for saprotrophic fungi. Referring to fungi that obtain their nutrients from decayed organic matter.

 
 
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Luciearl

 
    Jelly Rot   Jelly Rot  
           
    Jelly Rot    
           
 

Fungi in decaying log

 
    Jelly Rot      
           
 

Found a lot of this fungus on several downed trees.

 
    Jelly Rot      
           
 

Fairview Twp., Cass County

 
    Jelly Rot   Jelly Rot  
           
 

I believe these were all on a large downed poplar.

 
    Jelly Rot   Jelly Rot  
           
    Jelly Rot   Jelly Rot  
           
    Jelly Rot      
 

Alfredo Colon

 
    Jelly Rot      
           
    Jelly Rot   Jelly Rot  
 

Honey Fae (Farah)

 
    Jelly Rot   Jelly Rot  
           
 
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slideshow

       
 
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Other Videos
 
  Żylak trzęsakowaty (Phlebia tremellosa) Jaworzno
Paul and Mushrooms
 
   
 
About

Published on Nov 1, 2017

   
  Jelly Rot Fungus - Trembling Merulius - Rotsveppir - Geislahrúður - Sveppir
Hellen Linda Drake
 
   
 
About

Published on Feb 21, 2014

Jelly Rot Fungus - Phlebia tremellosa - Merulius tremellosus. - Meruliaceae - Kniplingsætt - Sveppaætt - Phlebia radiate - Geislahrúður

Phlebia means "veins"; tremellosa means "trembling."

Its typical form is a classic example of what mycologists call an "effused-reflexed" fruiting body; it spreads its spore-bearing surface over the wood and musters up just enough cap-making umph to fold over its upper edge into a slight extension. Other distinguishing features include the translucent, orangish to pinkish spore-bearing surface, which develops deep folds and pockets; the whitish, hairy upper edge; growing alone to gregariously, sometimes in overlapping clusters; found primarily on the dead wood of hardwoods but also reported on conifer wood; causing a white rot; See more: http://www.mushroomexpert.com/phlebia_tremellosa.html

Upper surface: Caps white to pale yellow; hairy, wooly. Pore surface: Pore-like with a network of radiating folds, ridges, and crossveins; yellowish to brownish-orange to pinkish-orange; rubbery, flexible, and gelatinous. Edibility: Inedible. : https://www.messiah.edu/Oakes/fungi_on_wood//poroid%20fungi/species%20pages/Phlebia%20tremellosa.htm

Caps white to pale yellow; hairy, woolly. These soft and flexible bracket-like growths often fuse laterally to form more extensive sheets. Habitat : Mostly on decaying deciduous wood. Fairly frequent and widespread in Britain. See more: https://www.naturespot.org.uk/species/jelly-rot-fungus

Hérna er að finna mikinn fróðleik um alskonar sveppi eins og rotsveppi af Kniplingsætt (Meruliaceae) : https://is.wikipedia.org/wiki/Notandi:Akigka/Sveppir_%C3%A1_%C3%8Dslandi

Fungi, Basidiomycota, Agaricomycotina, Agaricomycetes, Polyporales, Meruliaceae, Phlebia.

   

 

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Visitor Sightings
 
           
 

Report a sighting of this fungus.

 
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  Luciearl
9/24/2023

Location: Fairview Twp., Cass County

Jelly Rot  
  Luciearl
March 2023

Location: Lake Shore, MN

Fungi in decaying log

Jelly Rot  
  Alfredo Colon
8/26/2022

Location: Albany, NY

Jelly Rot  
  Honey Fae (Farah)
4/10/2022

Location: Minnesota

Jelly Rot  
  Luciearl
11/14/2021

Location: Fairview Twp, Cass County

Jelly Rot  
  Apricity Apricity
Fall 2021

Location: Martin County, Fairmont, MN

 
  Luciearl
10/14/2021

Location: Fairview Twp, Cass County

Found a lot of this fungus on several downed trees.

Jelly Rot  
  Luciearl
12/9/2019

Location: Fairview Twp., Cass County

Jelly Rot  
  Luciearl
10/23/2018

Location: Cass County

Jelly Rot  
           
 
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Created: 10/28/2018

Last Updated:

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