Tremella mesenterica

Yellow brain

A bright yellow, brain-like jelly fungus on dead but attached hardwood branches. It is a parasite of the crust fungus Peniophora rather than of the wood itself, so it cannot be grown on wood alone. It dries to a thin film and revives after rain.

Tremella mesenterica — Photo: J. Carmichael, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

At home, aim for

Day Cool-growingTargets in Plantistry

Night Close to the dayTargets in Plantistry

Humidity Very humid airBand in Plantistry

Light Dappled lightDLI and PPFD in Plantistry

No rest period

Where it grows wild

It parasitises Peniophora crust fungi on dead but attached or recently fallen branches of broadleaved trees, and appears in bark cracks in deciduous and mixed woods.

Mostly lowland; the 4 records with an elevation span 0–301 m (median 50 m).

EuropeNorth AmericaCentral and South AmericaAfricaAsiaAustralia

🔒 Growing it like that

The wild conditions above, turned into targets for a shelf, a tent or a greenhouse. The full profile has:

✓ Day and night temperature targets, and the limits it tolerates

✓ Humidity band, and how to hold it

✓ Light as DLI and PPFD for a grow light

✓ Wet and dry seasons, and whether to rest it

✓ Substrate and airflow

✓ A step-by-step setup to grow it like the wild

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More Tremella

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Profiles are drafts built from measured range and climate and from published sources; each section carries its own confidence in the app. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, used under its Public domain licence, unmodified.