🍄⭐The December mushroom of the month is 𝘛𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘢 𝘮𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢 commonly known as witches butter!
🙌 to Sanjay from Houston for naming that mushroom correctly and becoming the newest member of Central Texas Mycology!
You can also be a supporting member to stay dialed-in with events & discover next month’s mystery mushroom.
What’s That Gooey Glob?
During the cooler, wetter months of fall and winter, Tremella mesenterica, commonly known as witch's butter, appears as yellow, gelatinous masses on dead hardwood bark. Its fluorescent hue brightens the gloomy landscape, though the fungus feels tough and rubbery despite resembling jelly. Witch's butter is a parasitic jelly fungus that feeds on wood-decay fungi in the genus Peniophora, consuming them as it grows.
a foragers delight
Witch’s butter is abundant and edible, best collected when young and rubbery. In China, it is used to prepare a traditional cooling soup with ingredients like lotus seeds, lily bulbs, and jujube, valued for its immunomodulating properties. Across Asia, witch’s butter has been used for centuries to improve circulation and respiration. Studies suggest it has antitumor, antioxidative, and antiallergenic properties. Candied witch’s butter, resembling sour gummy candy, is a delightful treat packed with health benefits.
myth and legend
With a name like Witch’s Butter, it’s no surprise this fungus is steeped in myth and lore. According to European legend, it grows on the door frames of homes cursed by a witch’s hex.
The curse could only be lifted by piercing the fungus with a pin to drain its fluid. However, the fungus rehydrates with the next rain, which seemed ominous to superstitious residents. Today, we understand Witch’s Butter as a fascinating natural ally rather than a harbinger of doom.