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Black witches' butter


Black witches' butter
Photo Information
Copyright: Gert Paassen (Gert-Paassen) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1207 W: 2 N: 4559] (13788)
Genre: Fungi
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2007-12-05
Categories: Fungi
Exposure: f/10.0, 1/6 seconds
More Photo Info: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version
Date Submitted: 2008-10-15 22:59
Viewed: 685
Points: 16
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note [Dutch]
Thanks for the critiques on my Deadmans vinges, today another black fungi.
This picture are taken in 2007.
Taken with my 300 mm lens becuse the funi are on a branche at 4m height.
Picture also a little been cropped.

Latin name - Exidia plana

Classification

Kingdom Fungi
Phylum Basidiomycota
Class Basidiomycetes
Order Tremellales
Family Exidiaceae
Genus Exidia

Synonyms
Exidia intumescens sensu auct.
fide Checklist of Basidiomycota of Great Britain and Ireland (2005)
Exidia plana sensu auct.
fide Checklist of Basidiomycota of Great Britain and Ireland (2005)
Exidia spiculosa (Pers.) Sommerf.
Suppl. Fl. lapp. (Oslo) (1826)
Gyraria spiculosa (Pers.) Gray
Nat. Arr. Brit. Pl. (London) 1: 594 (1821)
Tremella arborea sensu auct.
fide Checklist of Basidiomycota of Great Britain and Ireland (2005)
Tremella atra Fr.
Fl. Danic. 5: tab. 884 (1782)
Tremella glandulosa Bull.
Herbier de la France 9: tab. 420, fig. 1 (1789)
Tremella intumescens sensu auct.
fide Checklist of Basidiomycota of Great Britain and Ireland (2005)
Tremella spiculosa Pers.
Observ. mycol. (Lipsiae) 1: 99 (1796)

Common names
Black witch's butter
Black jelly roll
Warty jelly fungus

Description
In a 150-year old treatise on English botany, (Sowerby et al., 1846, p. 225) it is mentioned that according to Dillenius, this species earned its common name "witches' butter" because it was believed to be useful against witchcraft when thrown into a fire.

Fruiting body: wrinkled, gelatinous; beginning as a pallid or translucent blister but soon becoming cushion-shaped to irregularly lobed, appearing effused, undulate, brain-like in structure; usually dark black color, but sometimes reddish black to olive-black in younger specimens; 1-2 cm broad but often fusing with adjacent sporophores to form extensive patches; upper surface smooth to minutely roughened with scattered, erect, short spicules.
Flesh: gelatinous, black.
Taste, smell: indistinct.
Spore print: whitish; the spores are borne on the lobes, warts or wrinkles.
Spores: 10-16 x 3-5 µm, allantoid, smooth.
Edibility: unclear (different opinions depending on the source).
Habitat: found on dead wood of deciduous trees, especially birch, beech, alder, pine, hawthorn. It prefers cooler temperatures and is more likely to be found Sept to May.

The fruiting body will dehydrate to form a thin membrane, but will rehydrate when moistened. The fruiting bodies are somewhat translucent when young and fresh.
iris, siggi, jaycee, boreocypriensis has marked this note useful
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Critiques [Translate]

  • Great 
  • siggi Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1373 W: 56 N: 4723] (16252)
  • [2008-10-15 23:02]

Hello Gert,
Very good photo of this interesting mushroom.
Excellent composition and detail.
Good sharpnes.
Regards Siggi

  • Great 
  • Ishi Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 162 W: 0 N: 973] (3718)
  • [2008-10-16 1:13]

Excellent "catch".

Those names are amazing...

Cheers!

Ishi

Hi Gert

Good shot of this unusual fungi. Well composed and good details.

Chris

  • Great 
  • jaycee Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2493 W: 11 N: 6885] (21912)
  • [2008-10-16 10:11]

Hi Gert,

Who comes up with the names for these fungi? These are fascinating to see - it must be amazing to see them growing. The black is interesting, the details are excellent. The larger one reminds me of three witches and the smaller one the butter.

Jane

Hi Big Bro Gert,
Another excellent shot of a strange-shaped mushoom, which is novelty for me. POV, details and DOF are perfect.
TFS and cheers,

Bayram

they are amazing and unique, TFS Ori

  • Great 
  • uleko Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2992 W: 162 N: 950] (2789)
  • [2008-10-20 12:15]

Hello Gert,
I've never seen this black fungus before! Very interesting and I must look out for it as I expect it is found here too! Excellent capture of these peculiar shapes from such a distance showing great details and a fine smooth background too.
TFS and regards, Ulla

  • Great 
  • iris Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 469 W: 60 N: 947] (3016)
  • [2008-10-20 22:21]

Dear Gert
I wonder where do you find these beautiful little jewels of nature.
And i love the names they have ...the slate back colour really renders it the right name.
The texture of the fungus is well picked up and i can understand how diffiocult it must be to get a right compsoiton in fungi shots wehre sunlight may not be at it ambient best.
Congratulations on this wonderful capture..
Cheers
Silpa

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