Black Witches' Butter

Exidia glandulosa – Inedible

Rotten deciduous wood, especially aspen branches. Autumn, spring, mild winter.

Fruiting bodies small, 3-6 cm across, usually several fused into lumps up to 30 cm long. Wavy-wrinkled, rough with tiny warts, the upper side shiny, tar-black; depending on location and lighting the colour may range from black to greyish; the underside matt, greyish-black, of jelly-like consistency. Flesh gelatinous, elastic, watery, without any particular smell or taste. Grows mostly in deciduous forests on fallen, broken branches, especially in late autumn and even in winter (down to -10 °C); it also occurs on coniferous branches