Neobulgaria pura

Description

Neobulgaria pura is a type of mushroom that is commonly found in mainland Europe. It grows on fallen branches of broadleaf hardwood trees, especially Beech trees. These mushrooms are shaped like cups and are jelly-like in texture. They often grow together in clusters on dead hardwood with bark, especially on Beech trees. Each mushroom can be up to 1.97 inches (5 cm) in size and is pale pink and somewhat transparent. The edges of the cups are white, especially in young mushrooms. The inside is smooth, and the outside is grainy. The spores are white, elliptical, colorless, smooth, and measure 7.5 - 9 x 3.5 - 4.5 µm.

You can find it in both summer and winter. Its appearance is quite distinctive, so it's unlikely to be confused with other mushrooms. There's a darker variety called var. foliacea, which has brain-like fruiting bodies, but its microscopic characteristics are the same as the common variety.

Common names: Beech Jellydisc, German (Gemeiner Buchenkreisling, Blassrötlicher Gallertbecher, Buchen-Gallerkreisling).

Mushroom Identification

1. Fruiting Bodies

   0.39 to 1.97 inches (1 to 5 cm), first conical, later disc-shaped, saucer-shaped, clustered in small groups. The hymenial layer is smooth, whitish-pink, whitish-purple-pink, located on the inner surface of the disc.

2. Asci

   70-95 * 8 microns, 8 spores. Spores 7.5-9 * 3.5-4.5 microns, elliptical in shape, with 2 drops of oil, colorless.

3. Flesh

   The flesh is elastic, gelatinous.

4. Spores

   White (6.5-9 x 3-4.5 µm).

5. Habitat

   Dead branches and trunks of hardwood, preferably copper beech, inhabited by late autumn decomposers.

Look-Alikes

1. Bulgaria inquinans

   Similar in shape, but black or dark brown in color.

2. Ascotremella faginea

   Confined to deciduous forests and is distinguished by longitudinally striped spores and larger fruiting bodies.

3. Ascocoryne sarcoides

   Fruiting bodies are of red shades, spores are cylindrical, and in a mature state, they exhibit a septum.

History

This mushroom, called Neobulgaria pura, was first described by Persoon and later confirmed by Elias Magnus Fries in 1822. In 1921, Austrian mycologist Franz Petrak gave it its current scientific name.

The name Neobulgaria might refer to its leathery appearance, possibly resembling a wine pouch called a 'bulgar.' Alternatively, if you have other name suggestions, they're welcome! As for 'pura,' it's a Latin word meaning 'pure' or 'clean.'

Synonyms

• Ascocoryne microspora (Ellis & Everhart) Korf (1971), Phytologia, 21(4), p. 202

• Ascotremella turbinata Seaver (1930), Mycologia, 22(2), p. 53

• Bulgaria lilacea (Quélet) Quélet (1886), Enchiridion fungorum in Europa media et praesertim in Gallia vigentium, p. 323

• Bulgaria pura (Persoon) Fries (1822), Systema mycologicum, 2(1), p. 168

• Burcardia pura (Persoon) Kuntze (1891), Revisio generum plantarum, 2, p. 845

• Burckhardia pura (Pers.) Kuntze, Revis. gen. pl. (Leipzig) 2: 845 (1891)

• Coryne bresadolae Rehm, 1915

• Coryne foliacea Bres., in Strasser, Verh. zool.-bot. Ges. Wien 55(9-10): 611 (1905)

• Coryne microspora Ellis & Everhart (1897), Bulletin of the Torrey botanical Club, 24(6), p. 282

• Coryne violacea (Hedwig) Boudier (1885), Bulletin de la Société mycologique de France, 1(1), p. 113

• Craterocolla pura (Pers.) Sacc., Syll. fung. (Abellini) 6: 779 (1888)

• Cudonia violacea (Hedwig) Quélet (1886), Enchiridion fungorum in Europa media et praesertim in Gallia vigentium, p. 267

• Helotium janthinum (Fries) Fries (1849), Summa vegetabilium Scandinaviae, 2, p. 355

• Helotium violascens (Rehm) Boud., Hist. Class. Discom. Eur. (Paris): 112 (1907)

• Neobulgaria foliacea (Bres.) Dennis, Mycol. Pap. 62: 166 (1956)

• Neobulgaria pura var. foliacea (Bres.) Dennis & Gamundí, in Gamundí & Dennis, Darwiniana 15: 19 (1969)

• Octospora violacea Hedwig (1789), Descripto et adumbratio microscopico analytica muscorum frondorosum, 2, p. 27, tab. 8, fig. a

• Ombrophila lilacea (Quélet) Saccardo (1889), Sylloge fungorum omnium hucusque cognitorum, 8, p. 614

• Ombrophila microspora (Ellis & Everhart) Saccardo & P. Sydow (1899), Sylloge fungorum omnium hucusque cognitorum, 14, p. 802

• Ombrophila pura (Pers.) Quél., Enchir. fung. (Paris): 230 (1886)

• Ombrophila violacea (Hedwig) P. Karsten (1885), Acta societatis pro fauna et flora fennica, 2(6), p. 140

• Ombrophila violascens Rehm, Rabenh. Krypt.-Fl., Edn 2 (Leipzig) 1.3(lief. 34): 478 (1891)

• Peziza janthina Fries (1822), Systema mycologicum, 2(1), p. 130

• Peziza pura Persoon (1796), Observationes mycologicae seu descriptiones tam novorum quam notabilium fungorum, 1, p. 40 (Basionyme) Sanctionnement : Fries (1822)

• Peziza violacea (Hedwig) J.F. Gmelin (1792), Systema naturae, Edn 13, 2, p. 1452 (nom. illegit.)

• Phialea janthina (Persoon) Gillet (1880), Champignons de France, les discomycètes, p. 102

• Phialea lilacea Quélet (1880), Grevillea, 8(47), p. 116

• Tremella saccharina var. foliacea (Bres.) Bref.

Photo sources:

Photo 1 - Author: Björn S... (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Photo 2 - Author: Holger Krisp (CC BY 3.0)

Photo 3 - Author: Christian Grenier (Public Domain)

Photo 4 - Author: Christian Grenier (Public Domain)

Photo 5 - Author: Björn S... (CC BY-SA 2.0)