Fungus
Orange Jelly Spot
Dacrymyces chrysospermusAlso known as Orange Jelly, Orange Witch's Butter
Orange jelly spot produces bright orange, gelatinous, convoluted masses on decaying conifer wood in moist temperate forests. During dry spells, these vibrant fungi shrivel into inconspicuous amber crusts, rehydrating rapidly after rain. They act as vital saprotrophs, breaking down tough wood fibers and returning essential nutrients to the forest floor.
GelatinousWood-DecayerBright Orange
—observations
—countries
—peak records
Not EvaluatedConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXNot Evaluated — not placed on the risk ladderRed List categories, explained →
Diet & preySaprotrophic (decomposing coniferous wood)
Predators
- Slugs
- Snails
- Fungus Gnats
ThreatsDeforestation and clear-cutting of conifer stands
HabitatsConiferous and mixed forests, decaying logs and stumps
Life spanFruiting bodies last weeks to months; mycelium lives multi-year
Classification
- OrderDacrymycetales
- FamilyDacrymycetaceae
- GenusDacrymyces
- SpeciesDacrymyces chrysospermus
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Many wild fungi have toxic look-alikes; never ingest wild mushrooms based on app identification alone.
Responsible observation
- Spotting: Look on barkless conifer logs and stumps after autumn rains.
- Drying Response: Observe how shriveled dark crusts swell up after being wetted.
- Safe Observation: Inspect closely without tearing the soft gelatinous tissue.
Look-Alike no rights reserved · cc0
Ecological Counterpart (c) sugarsnap_t, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by sugarsnap_t · cc-by
Close Relative (c) Didier, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · cc-by-sa
Close Relative (c) Alan Rockefeller, some rights reserved (CC BY) · cc-by
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