''Guepiniopsis alpina'', commonly known as the jelly cup, alpine jelly cone, or poor man's gumdrop, is a species of

fungus A fungus ( : fungi or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, separately from th ...

in the family

Dacrymycetaceae The Dacrymycetaceae are a family of fungi in the order Dacrymycetales. Species are saprotrophs and occur on dead wood. Their distribution is worldwide. Basidiocarps (fruit bodies) are ceraceous to gelatinous, often yellow to orange, and variousl ...

. The small, gelatinous

Fruit bodies The sporocarp (also known as fruiting body, fruit body or fruitbody) of fungi is a multicellular structure on which spore-producing structures, such as basidia or asci, are borne. The fruitbody is part of the sexual phase of a fungal life cyc ...

are orange and cone or cup shaped. Found in western North America and Iran, the fungus grows on decaying

conifer Conifers are a group of conifer cone, cone-bearing Spermatophyte, seed plants, a subset of gymnosperms. Scientifically, they make up the phylum, division Pinophyta (), also known as Coniferophyta () or Coniferae. The division contains a single ...

wood.

Taxonomy

The fungus was first described in 1901 by

Samuel Mills Tracy Samuel Mills Tracy (1847–1920) was an American botanist. Biography Samuel Tracy was born in 1847 in Hartford, Vermont. He lived in Illinois with his parents, and later moved to Wisconsin. When the Civil War broke out, he enlisted with the Union A ...

and

Franklin Sumner Earle Franklin Sumner Earle (September 4, 1856 – January 31, 1929) was an American mycologist who specialized in the diseases and cultivation of sugar cane. He was the first mycologist to work at the New York Botanical Garden, and was the author of '' ...

under the name ''Guepinia alpina'' in 1901. It was later transferred to ''Heterotextus'' in 1932, and then to '' Guepiniopsis'' in 1938. It is commonly known as the "jelly cup", "alpine jelly cone", or "poor man's gumdrop".

Description

The

fruit bodies The sporocarp (also known as fruiting body, fruit body or fruitbody) of fungi is a multicellular structure on which spore-producing structures, such as basidia or asci, are borne. The fruitbody is part of the sexual phase of a fungal life cyc ...

are cone-shaped, measuring up to in diameter, and hang from a narrow attachment to the substrate. They are bright yellow to orange, with a gelatinous texture and a smooth and sticky surface on top, but have external hairs. Dried fruit bodies deepen to reddish-orange and become hard.

Basidiospore A basidiospore is a reproductive spore produced by Basidiomycete fungi, a grouping that includes mushrooms, shelf fungi, rusts, and smuts. Basidiospores typically each contain one haploid nucleus that is the product of meiosis, and they are pro ...

s are produced on the inner surface of the cup. In mass, the spores are yellowish. They are sausage shaped, measure 11–18 by 4–6 µm, and have three or four

septa The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) is a regional public transportation authority that operates bus, rapid transit, commuter rail, light rail, and electric trolleybus services for nearly 4 million people in five coun ...

. Like all members of the

Dacrymycetes The Dacrymycetes are a class of fungi in the Basidiomycota. The class currently contains the single order Dacrymycetales, with a second proposed order Unilacrymales now treated at the family level. The order contains four families and has a cosmo ...

, the

basidia A basidium () is a microscopic sporangium (a spore-producing structure) found on the hymenophore of fruiting bodies of basidiomycete fungi which are also called tertiary mycelium, developed from secondary mycelium. Tertiary mycelium is highly-c ...

are Y-shaped. The edibility of ''G. alpina'' is unknown, but it is too small to be considered for the table. It has been claimed to be edible, but tastes bland at best. One guide classifies it as inedible. Species with which ''G. alpina'' could be confused include '' Bisporella citrina'', '' Dacrymyces capitatus'', and '' D. stillatus''. '' Guepiniopsis chrysocomus'' is a related species with a somewhat similar appearance. It has a yellow fruit body, larger spores, and uses rotting hardwood as a substrate.

Habitat and distribution

The fruit bodies grow scattered, in groups, or clusters on decaying, bark-free

wood. A snowbank fungus, it is most common at higher elevations after snowmelt in the spring. It is found in North America west of the

Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in straight-line distance from the northernmost part of western Canada, to New Mexico in ...

. In 2010, it was recorded for the first time in Iran.

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q14950889 Fungi described in 1901 Fungi of Asia Fungi of North America Snowbank fungi