#7 Amauroderma rude

Amauroderma rude is a fungus with a fascinating feature - its white pores turn bright rusty-red upon touch, making it an easy fungus to identify.

Amauroderma rude, common name Red-staining Stalked Polypore, is from the family Ganodermataceae. Pronunciation: Amour-oh-der-ma rue-day. It appears to be a common fungus in small numbers in the rainforests of the southern section of Barrington Tops National Park where I go fungus hunting.

According to Fungimap of the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne, the distribution of the Red-staining Stalked Polypore includes southeastern Queensland, eastern NSW, Victoria, Tasmania, and southeastern South Australia.

A young Red-staining Stalked Polypore which appears to be 'sweating'. Also notice how a twig has been embedded in the fungus as it grew. This fungus also appears to be infected by another fungus or slime mould.

Pores are small (1 to 4 pores per millimetre)

Cap is flattened with a central depression, is woody, has concentric zones of varying shades of brown or orange-brown, and is usually slightly velvety. I have seen caps up to 130mm diameter.

The stem is brown, irregularly shaped, tough and woody. I have seen stems up to about 120mm high, but apparently they can reach 160mm in height.

A close up of pores of Amauroderma rude

As is indicated by the common name of Red-staining Stalked Polypore, the white pores stain bright rusty-red upon touch. Even a gentle touch as in the image above, will stain the pores immediately. With time, the staining will turn almost black.

A 130mm specimen with red bruising turning blackish

Amauroderma rude grows singly or in small groups on rotting timber in damp forests, is long-lasting and turns black with age.

Hard, rough, brown cap with concentric zones

My sightings of Amauroderma rude

[This will be updated with more sightings]

Barrington Tops National Park - rainforest, on fallen rotting logs - Apr.

Hunter Region Botanic Gardens, Heatherbrae, NSW - mulched garden - Jul

Brunkerville, NSW - on buried wood, mixed forest Jun 2011, May 2012

Notice the irregular, knobbly, velvety stems, and 'wavy' perimeter of the cap

#8 Pseudohydnum gelatinosum

Jelly fungi are intriguing growths. You need to have a keen eye and make a close inspection of most fungi to really appreciate their intricate beauty and marvelous structure.

Pseudohydnum gelatinosum, Toothed Jelly Fungus, family Exidiaceae, is a beautiful thing. Pronunciation: Sue-doh-hid-numb gelat-in-oh-sum. They are found on rotting wood or living trees in wet forests in southeast Queensland, eastern NSW, Victoria and Tasmania.

Toothed Jelly Fungi 30mm wide.

Fruiting bodies are usually tongue or fan-shaped, grey to brown, and quiver when touched. The upper surface of the young fungus has a texture similar to a tongue, becoming gelatinous (slimy) with age. I have seen Toothed Jelly fungi up to 80mm wide.

The lower surface is covered in white pointed tooth-like projections up to a couple of millimetres long. If a stem is present, it will be short and wide.

A close-up of the fertile underside of the fungus

Stumpy stalk and tongue-shaped grey cap

Toothed Jelly Fungi grow singly or in overlapping clusters. The upper and lower surface is soft to the touch which distinguishes it from other grey or brown shelf fungi that have firm spines. As they age, they collapse into a brown glutinous blob, as shown in the image below.

An aging Toothed Jelly (left) will collapse into jelly-like blob (right)

My sightings of Pseudohydnum gelatinosum

[This will be updated with more sightings]

Barrington Tops National Park - on discarded rotting milled timber on rainforest floor - Apr, Jun.

An elegant fungus