Species with Funny English Common Names

Where do all these species live? Use this field guide to find out.

Witch's Butter

Tremella mesenterica (common names include yellow brain fungus, golden jelly fungus and Witch's butter) is a jelly fungus that is commonly found on rotting wood, especially gorse, as a parasite of wood decay fungi such as Stereum, Aleurodiscus and Peniophora. This fungus occurs widely in locations including North America, Australia, ...more ↓

Common Puffball

The common puffball, gem-studded puffball or devil's snuff-box (Lycoperdon perlatum) is a moderate sized puffball mushroom with a round fruiting body, tapering to a wide stalk. It is off-white with a top covered in short, spiny bumps or "jewels".

Russula sanguinaria

Russula sanguinaria, commonly known as the bloody brittlegill, is a strikingly coloured mushroom, a member of the Russula genus, which has the common name of brittlegills. It is bright blood-red, inedible, and grows in association with coniferous trees. It was previously widely known as Russula sanguinea.

Auriscalpium vulgare

Auriscalpium vulgare, commonly known as the pinecone mushroom, the cone tooth, or the ear-pick fungus, is a species of mushroom in the family Auriscalpiaceae of the Russulales order. It was first described in 1753 by Carl Linnaeus, who included it as a member of the spine fungi genus Hydnum, but in 1821, British mycologist Samuel Frederick Gray ...more ↓

Edited by Marie Studer, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)