Dacrymyces cokeri McNabb 1973

Dacrymyces palmatus (Schwein.) Bres.

nom. inval.

Dacrymyces chrysospermus Berk. & M.A. Curtis 1873

Dacrymyces flabellum Ellis & Everh. 1894

Dacrymyces pallidus Coker non Lloyd

hom. illeg. 1920

Tremella palmata Schwein. non Schumach.

hom. illeg. 1803

Orange Jelly Fungus, Witch’s Butter

About plant names...

Identification: This fungus inhabits dead pine trees whose bark has fallen away. It is shiny, bright yellow-orange, and lobed and convoluted, looking a bit like the surface of the brain. It dries to a reddish-orange or dark red-brown color, with a tough outer membrane. Fruiting bodies are ⅜-2" (1-6 cm) x ⅞" (2.5 cm). Although Tremella aurantia and Tremella mesenterica appear similar, but they are more yellow in color, and they fruit on hardwood trees which still have their bark, rather than on dead conifers.

Edibility: Edible, but flavorless.

Online References:

Dacrymyces cokeri on Mykoweb.com: the Fungi of California

Dacrymyces cokeri by Gary Emberger at Messiah College

Dacrymyces cokeri on

Dacrymyces cokeri on Wikimedia Commons

Dacrymyces cokeri on Taste of the Wild

Dacrymyces cokeri on CalPhotos

3/17/2016 · Kibby’s Climb, Beaver Brook Conservation Area, Hollis, NH
≈ 6 × 4" (16 × 10 cm)

9/29/2012 · Franconia Falls Trail, Franconia Notch, NH
≈ 1¼ × 1¼" (3.7 × 3.5 cm)

7/25/2013 · Beaver Brook Assn Conservation Lands, Rte. 130, Hollis, NH
≈ 4 × 4½" (10 × 11 cm)

[Might also be Fan-shaped Jelly Fungus, Dacryopinax spathularia.] · 11/20/2009 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, MA
≈ 7 × 4½" (17 × 11 cm) ID is uncertain

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

3/17/2016 · Kibby’s Climb, Beaver Brook Conservation Area, Hollis, NH
≈ 3 × 3" (7.4 × 7.8 cm)

Or Orange Jelly Fungus (Dacrymyces palmatus)? · 5/23/2009 · West Fork of Oak Creek Trail, AZ
≈ 3 × 2" (8 × 5.2 cm) ID is uncertain

Dacrymyces cokeri description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 25 May 2020.

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9/29/2012 · Franconia Falls Trail, Franconia Notch, NH
≈ 3½ × 4" (9.2 × 11 cm)

9/18/2016 · Barred Island Preserve, Deer Isle, ME

10/2/2010 · Raymondskill Falls, Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, PA
≈ 3½ × 3" (9.7 × 7.9 cm)

9/29/2012 · Franconia Falls Trail, Franconia Notch, NH
≈ 1¼ × 1" (3.3 × 3 cm)

6/15/2007 · By Kathleen Williamson

8/2/2008 · Flying Mountain, Bar Harbor, ME
≈ 1¾ × 1¼" (4.9 × 3.5 cm) ID is uncertain

[Might also be Fan-shaped Jelly Fungus, Dacryopinax spathularia.] · 11/20/2009 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, MA
≈ 9 × 6" (22 × 14 cm) ID is uncertain

10/5/2012 · Willard Brook State Park, Townsend, MA
≈ 3 × 3" (7.5 × 8.5 cm)