Dacryopinax spathularia


Dacryopinax spathularia is an edible jelly fungus. It is orange in color. In Chinese culture, it is called guìhuā'ěr. It is sometimes included in a vegetarian dish called Buddha's delight.
The basionym of this species is Merulius spathularius.

Description

The fruit bodies of Dacryopinax spathularia are spatula-shaped, usually tall and between 0.5–3 mm wide. The color is orange when fresh, but it darkens to orangish-red when dry. The spore deposit is white. Its spores are ellipsoid, smooth-surfaced, hyaline, and measure 7–10 by 3–4 μm. It has forked, four-spored basidia that are 25–35 by 3–5 μm.

Habitat and distribution

A saprobic species, D. spathularia grows on rotting wood; it has even been reported to grow on polyester rugs. It is widely distributed in Asia, and also known from Hawaii, Europe, South America and eastern Africa.. It is also found in woodland areas of Texas and North America.

Edibility

Dacryopinax spathularia is edible.