#jelly drops

[mycoblogg]

HORROR WEEK- FOTD #146 : purple jellydisc! (ascocoryne sarcoides)

the purple jellydisc (also jelly drops) is a jelly fungus in the family helotiaceae :-) it was picked for horror week due to its gross, brain-like appearance !! this fungus is saprotrophic, & plays a very important role in the process of tree decay. so far, it has been recorded in finland, france, great britain, germany, norway, chile, australia, china, cuba, iceland, taiwan, hawaii & korea. a fun fact is that this fungus can reproduce both sexually & asexually !!

the big question : will it kill me?? nah, but it's not considered edible either.

a. sarcoides description :

"this fungus is characterized by a fruiting body (technically an apothecium) with a pinkish-purple colour & more or less gelatinous consistency. the apothecia, typically 0.5 to 1.5 centimetres (1⁄4 to 5⁄8 in) in diameter, start with a roughly spherical shape, then eventually flatten out to become shallowly cup-shaped with a wavy edge and smooth upper surface. the lower surface may be covered with small particles (granular), & the apothecia are either attached directly to the growing surface (sessile), or have a rudimentary stem. the apothecia are accompanied by a conidial form, where non-sexual spores are generated. the conidial form consists of sporodochia, a cushion-like asexual fruiting body mass consisting of short conidiophores (specialized stalks that bear conidia). the sporodochia are similar in colour & consistency to the apothecia but very variable in shape, typically club-, spoon-, or tongue-shaped, & bearing minute, cylindrical, straight or curved conidia. as the fungus matures & the apothecia enlarge & press against each other, the apothecia coalesce to form a gelatinous, irregular mass. the flesh, similar to the appearance of the fungus, is pinkish-purple & gelatinous."

[images : source & source] [fungus description : source]

[lailoken]

I discovered a small grove of dead trees absolutely inundated with Jelly Drops! I may try and make a little bit of pigment using them. :~)

[sp0rewh0re]

todays quick hike finds !!

[eaujourdhui]

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[talesofdrunkennessandcruelty]

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[lovecraftsgarden]

Ascocoryne sarcoides

Purple Jellydisc Fungus, Jelly Drops

(via)

[fungifanatics]

Ascocoryne sarcoides also known as Jelly Drop fungi is a species of fungus in the family Helotiaceae. The species name is derived from the Greek sarkodes. It’s inedible, even though it kind of looks like candy.

[lailoken]

Oh, also! Do we know what jelly drops actually are? From my research, they are still a mystery. Do you have theories?.... What is their significance to you?

You sent another ask before this inquiring about my opinion of the occult associations that pearls have, and I accidentally deleted it because tumblr mobile is terrible, so I apologize for that. To answer that last question here: as far as my own beliefs go, pearls tend to be particularly useful for healing and soothing magics. Given that pearls form as a way to defend their hosts against parasites and irritations, they possess associated virtues that can be called upon when they are incorporated into the framework of a spell. What's more, they can make good offerings to, or devotional items for, certain Aqueous spirits (though fluvial pearls tend to work best for fluvial spirits, and marine pearls tend to work best for marine spirits.)

As for the question you ask here, I'm not really sure what you mean. Jelly Drops are a fungus categorized under the genus Ascocoryne. Maybe you're referring to Star Jelly? As for my theories of what it is, they're no better than anyone else's (though I struggled to believe the hypothesis of them being amphibious remains partially digested by birds, mostly because I've seen a large section of forested area covered with deposits of it before, and I doubt that multiple birds were just circling that area and vomiting up toad goo all over.) As for what their significance is to me, it's a little fuzzy, since it's rare in lore and rarer still to come across in real life. But each of the times I've encountered it, it has been in a place, or following an event, that was heavily associated with the Gloaming Folk in some way. As such, I do think it bears certain Fae virtue.