From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
| Heterobasidiomycetes | ||||||||||
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 A jelly fungus (Tremella cf. fuciformis) (enlarge) | ||||||||||
| Scientific classification | ||||||||||
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| Orders | ||||||||||
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Tremellales Auriculariales Dacryomycetales Ceratobasidiales Tulasnellales |
The class Heterobasidiomycetes or Jelly fungi comprises five orders.
These mushrooms are so named because their foliose to irregularly branched fruiting body is, or appears to be, the consistency of jelly. Actually, many are somewhat rubbery and gelatinous. When dried, jelly fungi become hard and shriveled; when exposed to water, they return to their original form.
A number of them can be eaten raw. Poisonous jelly fungi are rare, but many are not of a texture or taste that one would want to consume. They may or may not be sought in mushroom hunting due to their taste, which is described as similar to that of soil. However, some species, Tremella fuciformis for example, are not only edible but highly prized for use in soup and vegetable dishes.
External link
"A modern systematic overview of the Basidiomycota", from the University of Aarhus, Denmark
