Auricularia auricula-judae

Common Name: Jelly Ear

Velvety and a little disconcerting, Auricularia auricula-judae, more commonly known as Jelly Ear, looks just like an ear growing off decaying branches. Look for them in the damp and shady conditions they love, on trees like elder and beech.

A.auricula-judah is an ear-shaped bracket fungus resembling tan-brown, gelatinous, jelly-like flesh. At first cup-shaped, developing lobes that make them look uncannily like human ears, it is tan-brown and velvety on the outside, with a wrinkled, shiny inner surface. Individual lobes can grow to between 3 and 10cm across. Rubbery, gelatinous flesh. The spores are sausage-shaped with a white spore print.

Not to be confused with: Bay Cup (Peziza badia) which grows on the ground and is poisonous; and Tripe Fungus or Grey Brain Fungus (Auricularia mesenterica) whose fruit bodies are smaller, paler, and hairier.

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