Fig. 2.26(a) A basidiocarp of Boletus scaber(10 cm
diameter, mauve-brown in color), growing as a mycor-
rhizal associate of birch trees. The underside (b) shows that
basidiospores are produced in pores, not on gills, giving
rise to the common name for these fungi – the polypores.(a)(b)Fig. 2.27Two examples of jelly fungi, with a moist,
jelly-like appearance. (a) Ear-shaped basidiocarps of
Auricularia auricula, commonly seen as a saprotroph on
the dead branches of elder trees (Sambucusspp.). The dark
brown fruitbody (about 6 cm) can dry completely and
shrivel, but swells and resumes its shape after rains. (b)
Tremella mesenterica (about 5 cm diameter) growing as
a saprotroph on a dead tree branch. Jelly fungi have
several distinctive structural and ultrastructural features,
including basidia that are deeply divided like tuning forks
or with four long sterigmata, or with septate basidia. Some
have a haploid yeast-like budding phase, and some can
bud conidia from the basidiospores.(a)(b)FB4eC02 04/20/2005 02:52PM Page 36