Golden Ear
Golden Ear
Naematelia aurantia
Also known as: witch's butter · orange tremella
Fungi
UNCOMMON

Stats

Lifespan
A few weeks
Size
Small
Diet
Decomposer
Biome
Temperate forest
Range
North temperate regions
Movement
Sessile
Breeding
Spores
Defense
Camouflage
Status
Uncommon

About

A gelatinous, golden-orange jelly fungus that sprouts frondose, brain-like lobes on dead hardwood branches. It's actually a parasite of another fungus, feeding on it rather than the wood directly.

Life cycle

  1. 1.
    spore
    A microscopic spore drifts on air or water and germinates where moisture and substrate meet.
  2. 2.
    mycelium
    A thread-like mycelium spreads through the substrate, breaking it down into nutrients.
  3. 3.
    fruiting body
    A mature fruiting body emerges to release the next generation of spores.

Learn more

Taxonomy

Kingdom
Fungi
Phylum
Basidiomycota
Class
Tremellomycetes
Order
Tremellales
Family
Naemateliaceae
Genus
Naematelia
Species
Naematelia aurantia