Dacrymyces palmatus is commonly known as Witch&rslquo;s Buttter due to the bright-orange to yellow color and gelatinous nature of the fungus. The folklore behind this species, indicates that witches leave dabs of butter for elves and pixies in the woods at night.This basidiomycet forms on dead branches and stumps where decay has just started to begin.The overall body of the mushroom is lumpy and convoluted.
A common look a-like is Tremella mesonteria though it can be distinguished since D. palmatus is smaller, favors conifers and has a small whitish basal point of attachment.
Arora, D. (1986) Mushrooms Demystified. Ten Speed Press, Berkeley, CA.
Kozloff, E.N. (1976) Plants and Animals of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press, Seattle and London.
Lincoff, G. (Ed.) (1981) Simon & Schuster’s Guide to Mushrooms. Simon & Schuster Inc, New York, New York.