I was out walking the dog a few days ago, and I began to notice something interesting. It looked like tiny pieces of coral growing out of the ground.

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Now, we have had a lot of rain, here lately; but, to have coral growing in the front yard seemed a little ridiculous! Then, I remembered a mushroom that a lot of people had posted about in the Arkansas Mushrooms And Fungi Facebook group that I am in. There are several different species of them, but they are all colloquially just called coral mushrooms.

Had I found the sought-after coral mushroom?

What Are Coral Mushrooms?

”Corals” is the colloquial name for the mushroom fruiting bodies from a variety of genera resembling the kind of coral that you would find in the sea. Some species of coral mushrooms are considered by many to be choice edibles. However, during my research into the topic, I found a lot of warnings and guidelines regarding colors, smells, and textures to avoid when foraging for them. There is even at least one deadly coral mushroom that I read about. This one is native to Asia, but it is not beyond the realm of possibility for it to hitch a ride into North America, much like the death cap probably did. Even known edible coral mushrooms have been rumored to cause gastrointestinal distress in some people.

I don’t generally forage wild mushrooms for food, because I am not confident in my identification skills. There are only a couple of mushrooms that I would feel comfortable collecting, and only then because they don’t have any known poisonous look alikes. So, given the difficulty in identifying coral mushrooms down to the species level, the fact that poisonous look alikes do exist, and that even a correctly identified specimen could send me running to the bathroom, corals don’t make that list. However, they are really cool looking, and I would like to get some cool pictures of some of them. So, I was pretty excited about my front-yard find.

But, Was It A Coral?

I knew I had seen people posting very similar specimen in the Facebook group, recently, so I looked back and found my specimen. It was not a coral mushroom… not a true coral, anyway. What I found is known as the jellied false coral mushroom, or simply false coral.

Tremellodendron schweinitzii - Jellied False Corals

It would be one of the most commonly found coral mushrooms, if it was actually a coral. Instead, scientists consider it to be a jelly fungus. I found this to be quite surprising, because the mushroom had a firm, leathery texture. But the distinction is made based on the structure of its microscopic spore-producing structures called basidia, which are morphologically more similar to jelly fungi.

T. schweinitzii is a small, slow growing mushroom that starts out looking like a plop of bird poop on the ground. But, after several weeks, it grows up to look more like this:

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It can grow up to 10 cm tall and 6 cm wide and its branches are fused at the base. Early on, it is generally a white-ish color, but may begin to take on the color of its substrate as the weeks wear on.

When you find T. schweinitzii it may seem as if it is growing right out of the ground. However, it is mycorrhizal, which means that it forms a symbiotic relationship with the underground roots of oaks and other hardwoods. Here in Arkansas, it can be found beginning in early spring through early fall, especially when there has been plenty of rain and fairly mild temperatures.

T. schweinitzii vs. True Corals

From what I gather, it can be fairly difficult for the novice to distinguish between true corals and false corals. However, I have read that true corals tend to be semi translucent, whereas false corals are opaque. Furthermore, true coral mushrooms are delicate and easy to break, but T. schweinitzii is tough and leathery.

Edibility

T. schweinitzii is generally not considered edible. While I didn’t find any references to it being toxic (but that doesn’t mean they don’t exist!), it is said to have a tough, stringy texture with a bitter flavor. If you’re out foraging for mushrooms, you probably have much better options.

In Conclusion

So, I guess I didn’t find my first coral mushroom. But, since I’m out for photographs rather than food, these false corals were pretty cool! Next time you’re out hiking or walking the dog, keep an eye out for them. Just be sure not to mistake them for the real thing!