Dacrymyces palmatus is a jelly fungus that can be found year round and is commonly found in Northeastern North America. Common names for Dacrymyces palmatus are Orange Jelly and Orange Witches’ Butter, not to be confused with other Witches’ butter, such as Tremella mesenterica. The fruiting body is 1-6cm wide and up to 2.5 cm high and appears brain-like to multilobed mass arising from a bed of white mycelium. It is yellowish orange to orange or reddish orange in color with a whitish color at the point of attachment. The consistency of the fruiting body is rubbery-gelatinous when young and will soften with age. You will find this jelly fruiting on decaying conifer branches and logs.
Microscopically you will find cylindrical to sausage shaped spores that are thin walled, smooth and hyaline measuring 17-25 X 6-8 micrometers. They will be nonamyloid and have 7-9 septa. The basidia will have a tuning fork shape typically found with Dacrymyces species and other members of the Dacrymycetaceae.
