What is the witch butter?
The witch is a common name that usually refers to the types of tremella mesenterica , although other species can also be given by the name of the witch butter. Tremella mesenterica belongs to a group of jelly mushrooms, each member of the phylum/division Basidiomycota , which lies in the kingdom of mushrooms. The jelly mushrooms are thus named for their texture. Witch sponges are often compared to jam due to their lumpy, gelatin structure and yellow.
Members of Basidiomycota Phylum, are commonly known as jelly mushrooms and should not be confused with members of Ascomycot Phylum, which are commonly known as jelly similar mushrooms. Jelly Fungi is one of the three separate orders, tremelless , auriculariales and dacrycecetales . Each of these three fungal relatives is yellow and has a look similar to the brain-for example, the mushroom is called a yellow brain.
Like many mushrooms, tremella mesenterica, The Common Witch's butter is a parasite. Interestingly,This species feed on other mushrooms. The victims of the selection for ordinary witch butter are mushrooms that feed on decaying wood. So one most likely finds that tremella mesenterica grows on wood, which is wet or decaying.
Tremella aurantia , also called witch butter, is also a parasite. This kind of witch butter has a very similar appearance to tremella mesenterica and often a microscope is needed. Tremella aurantia, like her cousins, grows in costume forests, such as forests in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.
The name of the witch is also given the species, dacrymyces palmatus . This species is distinguishable from the butter of other witches because it has an orange more color than its yellow tinted cousins. Dacrymyces Palmatus is also different from other witches to the middle because it is not a parasite. This kindHe is sarobic, which means he lives from a dead or decaying plant material. Specifically, Dacrymyces Palmatus usually occurs in a decaying plant affair of coniferous trees.
Most mushrooms, ie members of Basidiomycota Phylum, is edible. They are odorless and enemy, but can add a distinctive texture to the culinary bowls. A common way to eat these mushrooms is to dry and rehydrate and add them to the soup. It is reported that in China it is assumed that jelly mushrooms improve circulation and breathing. It is believed that the chemicals found in certain jelly mushrooms have an effect on thinning blood.
According to Easter European legend, the appearance of a witch mushroom on the gate or home door meant that the home and family were focused on the magic of the witch. The only drug to lift the evil spell was to penetrate the yellow mushroom with something sharp until it died.
It is an important to notice that common names used to refer to certain types can change across regionsand languages. Many mushrooms are highly toxic and can have the same common name as the benign species. Therefore, before consuming any type of fungus, it should be certain of the taxonomic identity of the mushroom. For example, the species of exidia glandulosa, a black sponge found mainly in England, also has a witch butter. This species is toxic and therefore inedible.