Lichen, in the Monteverde Reserve, I forget which trail - Sendero Wilford Guindon, I think. Among moss, on a fallen log. ID thanks to Liquenes de Costa Rica Lichens, Umana and Sipman.
Location approximate to trail.
Apparently this species (if it is Sparassis crispa) is edible and tasty. Also known as cauliflower mushroom.
Conifer root parasite.
Agaricomycetes is a class of fungi. The taxon is roughly identical to that defined for the Homobasidiomycetes by Hibbett & Thorn, with the inclusion of Auriculariales and Sebacinales. It includes not only mushrooms but also most species placed in the deprecated taxa Gasteromycetes and Homobasidiomycetes. Within the subclass Agaricomycotina, which already excludes the smut and rust fungi, the Agaricomycetes can be further defined by the exclusion of the classes Tremellomycetes and Dacrymycetes which are generally considered...
