Tremella reticulata

9.9

A white jelly fungus that looks like coral and grows on rotting wood

noun

Specialized

: Tremella reticulata

After the rain, we spotted Tremella reticulata growing on decaying logs in the forest.

Examples

Photographs of Tremella reticulata often highlight its coral-like appearance.
The delicate structure of Tremella reticulata makes it a fascinating subject for mycologists.
Look at that Tremella reticulata!
I found a Tremella reticulata while hiking in the forest.
After the rain, we spotted Tremella reticulata growing on decaying logs in the forest.
Photographs of Tremella reticulata often highlight its coral-like appearance.
The delicate structure of Tremella reticulata makes it a fascinating subject for mycologists.

Surface Forms

Tremella reticulata singular

Tremella reticulatas plural

Morphology

Tremella + reticulata

The genus Tremella clearly signals a gelatinous fungus, and the epithet reticulata (literally ‘reticulated’ or ‘net-like’ in Latin) partially describes morphology, so a learner who knows both constituents could infer it is a Tremella species with a net-like form. However, species epithets are Latinized and the full set of diagnostic details (upright whitish fruiting body, variable shape, resemblance to coral fungi) are not fully predictable from the parts alone, making the relation only partially transparent.

Etymology

Tremella reticulata may come from old Latin words: Tremella meaning 'to tremble' and reticulata meaning 'net-like', because the fungus has a soft, jelly body that can look like a trembling coral or a little net. That's why the name fits this whitish, upright jelly fungus.