Dacrymyces chrysospermus Nees (1817)
Dacrymyces chrysospermus (formerly Dacrymyces palmatus) is variously lobbed jelly fungus, depending on how much water it is holding, generally more egg-yoke yellow than look-alike Tremella mesenterica. Also it is attached to dead conifer wood by a white mycelial cord.
Tremella mesenterica, a jelly fungus in the Tremellales order is generally less yellow-orange - unless in a dried up state - more amorphous overall - especially when full of water. It grows on barked hardwood sticks, whereas Dacrymyces chrysospermus grows on debarked conifer wood. People eat them both for texture rather than taste - best in Chinese-style soups. Will spit, spatter and almost instantly disappear if put on a hot fry pan. Those are the two most common yellow jellies. There are several others which we encounter in the region - just to confuse things further for amateur mycophiles. It is in the Dacrymycetaceae family of the Dacrymycetales order. Fungi in this order have ‘tuning fork’ basidia.
