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Yellow brain (Tremella mesenterica), whole fruiting body
Agnes Monkelbaan · CC BY-SA 4.0
Inedible

Yellow brain

Tremella mesenterica · Tremellaceae

Yellow brain (Tremella mesenterica) is a bright yellow to orange jelly fungus with brain-like folds that grows on dead hardwood branches.

Last updated: Prepared by the Poros Mantar editorial team9 sources checkedReport a correction

FamilyTremellaceae
SeasonOct–May
Spore printWhite to pale yellow
Cap width2–10 cm
Records in Turkey36 records
CultivationWild only
StatusInedible

Yellow brain (Tremella mesenterica) is a bright yellow to orange jelly fungus with brain-like folds that grows on dead hardwood branches. It actually lives as a parasite on crust fungi (Peniophora) on the wood. It is not known to be poisonous, but it is tasteless and has no culinary value. Most products sold as "tremella" are not this species but the white snow fungus (Tremella fuciformis) cultivated in Asia.

Also called: witches' butter, golden jelly fungus, yellow trembler Turkish: Sarıpelte mantarı, sarıpelte

Yellow brain (Tremella mesenterica), whole fruiting body

How to recognise it

Yellow brain, part by part

No ring or volva Spore print: White to pale yellow No distinctive smell.

Yellow brain (Tremella mesenterica), cap seen from above
CapA shapeless, lobed, brain-like mass of jelly 2–10 cm across, with no separate cap. Wet, it is bright yellow to orange, soft and translucent; dry, it shrinks to a hard, thin, dark orange crust. After heavy rain it can look pale, almost colourless.
Jelly surfaceNo gills or pores; spores form all over the surface of the jelly.
StemNo stem; it sits directly on the branch.

When and where

Oct–May

  1. Janin season
  2. Febin season
  3. Marin season
  4. Aprin season
  5. Mayin season
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Octin season
  11. Novin season
  12. Decin season

Yellow brain shows up in the cool, wet months. Turkish sightings run from October to May, most in January, February and March. It shrivels in dry weather and swells again after rain.

Type Inedible

Months seen JanuaryFebruaryMarchAprilMayOctoberNovemberDecember

Colour YellowOrange

Regions Black Sea RegionCentral Anatolia RegionMediterranean RegionAegean RegionMarmara RegionAydınOsmaniyeİzmirMuğlaBoluIstanbulBalıkesirKırklareli

Where does yellow brain grow?

On dead branches and twigs of broadleaf trees (oak, hazel, beech, poplar, maple), fallen or still attached, usually alongside Peniophora crust fungi. It also turns up on dead stems of shrubs such as heather. Common in parks, groves and woodland edges.

In Turkey

iNaturalist holds 36 research-grade observations from Turkey: most from Istanbul, the rest from Kırklareli, Bolu, Balıkesir, İzmir, Aydın, Muğla and Osmaniye. It is also listed in macrofungi surveys of Tonya in Trabzon (Uzun and Kaya, 2022), Karaman, the Yuvacık basin in Kocaeli and Yenice in Karabük; the Yenice survey gives its Turkish name as "Sarıpelte".

  • İstanbul
  • Kırklareli
  • Bolu
  • Balıkesir
  • İzmir
  • Aydın
  • Muğla
  • Osmaniye
  • Trabzon
  • Karaman
  • Kocaeli
  • Karabük

GBIF lists 36 records from Turkey; none yet has verified coordinates for our map.

See on the map

Yellow brain (Tremella mesenterica), in its natural habitat
In its habitat
Yellow brain (Tremella mesenterica), in its natural habitat
In its habitat

Look-alikes

What could it be confused with?

Yellow brain can be mistaken for the species below. Each card shows the look-alike and how it differs from Yellow brain.

Yellow brain (Tremella mesenterica), whole fruiting body
This species Yellow brain
Snow fungus (Tremella fuciformis) Edible species

not Yellow brain

Snow fungus Tremella fuciformis

Snow fungus is white and translucent, folded into thin fronds; it is grown and dried in Asia and is the "tremella" sold for sweet soups. Yellow brain is yellow to orange and is not eaten.

Golden ear (Naematelia aurantia) Inedible

not Yellow brain

Golden ear Naematelia aurantia

Deeper golden orange and firmer; it parasitises hairy curtain crust (Stereum hirsutum) instead of Peniophora and is usually seen growing with it. Check the host fungus to tell them apart.

Orange jelly spot (Dacrymyces chrysospermus) Inedible

not Yellow brain

Orange jelly spot Dacrymyces chrysospermus

An orange jelly fungus too, but it grows on dead conifer wood and has a white base where it attaches. Yellow brain grows on broadleaf trees and has no white base.

What it contains

No culinary value. Dried products sold as "tremella" are snow fungus (Tremella fuciformis), not this species.

General information, not a health claim.

Yellow brain is not known to be poisonous; some sources say it can be eaten but is tasteless and slimy. Our advice is not to eat it: it has no culinary value and carries no health claims. Not every jelly fungus you find is this species. If poisoning is suspected, call poison control and keep any leftover mushroom.

Frequently asked questions

Is yellow brain edible?

It is not known to be poisonous, but it is tasteless and has no culinary value. Our advice is not to eat it.

What is tremella mushroom?

The "tremella" sold in shops is usually white snow fungus (Tremella fuciformis), cultivated in Asia and sold dried. Yellow brain (Tremella mesenterica) is a different, yellow wild species in the same genus.

Are yellow brain and snow fungus the same?

No. Snow fungus is white and translucent with thin, frond-like folds; yellow brain is bright yellow-orange and lobed like a brain. We found no wild record of snow fungus in Turkey.

Does tremella have health benefits?

Compounds in snow fungus are being researched, but no effect on any disease has been proven. There is no such use for yellow brain, and we make no health claims for it.

Where does yellow brain grow?

On dead branches of broadleaf trees, usually next to Peniophora crust fungi, which it parasitises.

Why does it dry out and swell again?

Its jelly body loses water in dry weather and hardens into a crust, then soaks up rain and softens again, so it can stay on the same branch for weeks.

Where is it found in Turkey?

iNaturalist has 36 observations, most from Istanbul, with others from Kırklareli, Bolu, İzmir, Muğla and elsewhere. It is also recorded in macrofungi surveys from Trabzon, Karaman, Kocaeli and Karabük.

When does it appear?

In the cool, wet months; Turkish sightings run from October to May, most in winter.

When is yellow brain season in Turkey?

In our calendar, yellow brain season runs Oct–May. Yellow brain shows up in the cool, wet months. Turkish sightings run from October to May, most in January, February and March. It shrivels in dry weather and swells again after rain.

Where is yellow brain found in Turkey?

iNaturalist holds 36 research-grade observations from Turkey: most from Istanbul, the rest from Kırklareli, Bolu, Balıkesir, İzmir, Aydın, Muğla and Osmaniye. It is also listed in macrofungi surveys of Tonya in Trabzon (Uzun and Kaya, 2022), Karaman, the Yuvacık basin in Kocaeli and Yenice in Karabük; the Yenice survey gives its Turkish name as "Sarıpelte".

What can yellow brain be confused with?

Yellow brain can be confused with snow fungus (Tremella fuciformis, edible species), golden ear (Naematelia aurantia, inedible) and orange jelly spot (Dacrymyces chrysospermus, inedible). Look-alikes are compared on this page.

What is yellow brain called in Turkish?

In Turkish, yellow brain (Tremella mesenterica) is called Sarıpelte mantarı; other local names include sarıpelte.

Related species

All species → · Identify by photo →

Sources

  1. Uzun ve Kaya (2022), KSÜ Tarım ve Doğa Dergisi 25(1): Macromycetes Determined in Tonya (Trabzon) District dergipark.org.tr
  2. Kaşık ve ark. (2022), KSÜ Tarım ve Doğa Dergisi 25(6): Yenice (Karabük) İlçesinin Makrofungusları ve Türkiye için Yeni Kayıtlar dergipark.org.tr
  3. Kastamonu Üniversitesi Orman Fakültesi Dergisi (2018) 18(2): Macrofungi determined in Yuvacık Basin (Kocaeli) dergipark.org.tr
All sources (9)
  1. Mantar Dergisi (2021) 12(1): Karaman Ayrancı ve Yeşildere makromantarları dergipark.org.tr
  2. Wikipedia (EN): Tremella mesenterica en.wikipedia.org
  3. First Nature: Tremella mesenterica, Yellow Brain fungus first-nature.com
  4. Wikipedia (EN): Tremella fuciformis en.wikipedia.org
  5. iNaturalist: Tremella mesenterica (Türkiye gözlemleri) inaturalist.org
  6. GBIF: Türkiye kayıtları gbif.org
Photo credits (8)