Encountered the 'Jellyfish' Mushroom And an Unmanned Sausage Stall in the Forest

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(Edited)

This is my entry for #FungiFriday week 34, hosted by @ewkaw.

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When I noticed this mushroom in a forest, it was almost dusk. I nearly thought it to be animal feces because of how dark the environment was due to the dense tree cover. But as soon as I got close enough, I realized it was some kind of mushroom.

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I identified it as Galiella rufa, also known as the hairy rubber cup, a species of fungus in the Sarcosomataceae family.

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The fruit's body feels rubbery to the touch, and the hairy skin. The surface of the mushroom has a smooth, featherless crater that is orange-pale.

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I sliced the mushroom open with a little pointed piece of wood right away since I was curious to see how the inside looked. It was similarly slimy and wet to viewing a jellyfish. I learned that this mushroom is edible from a Wikipedia article, but I have never tasted it.


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Is that a fungus, or is it a sausage stabbed with a stick? The mushrooms look like that. Yes, exactly like sausage. The mushroom's common name is the carnival sweet slime mold (Arcyria denudata).

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When flicked or even blown, the mushroom has a cottony texture and is dusty. I washed my hands as well as I could when I got my hands on it because it appeared to be quite toxic.

Have a wonderful #FungiFriday!

All of the images here are my own work, taken with Xiaomi POCO NFC smartphone and an assembled external macro lens.



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5 comments
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Aha the first one is very strange reminds me of a cactus fruit.

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Hahaha! Cacti have never been split by me. I frequently cut mollusks and, of course, consume them. 😄

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Really interesing fungi and great photos. The first one reminds me of a sea anemone when it is closed up. The second, well, its hard to get the sausage on a stick comparison out of my head once you put it out there 😂

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