Elm ear
Gloeostereum incarnatum · 榆耳
Occasional耳匙菌科🍽 Cultivated Edible
A commercially cultivated edible fungus. Buy wild specimens only through reputable, regulated sources.
The same species can be described differently across regions and stages of maturity, and countless look-alike species cannot be told apart by eye. Never use the information on this page to judge whether a real mushroom is safe to eat.
How to Tell
- Ear-shaped and gelatinous, white to pale pink
- Upper surface finely hairy; underside smooth and finely wrinkled
- Grows on dead elm and other hardwoods
ID notes are compiled by AI from public sources, not reviewed by a mycologist, for learning only — never a basis for foraging.
Basics
- Family
- 耳匙菌科
- Hymenium
- Smooth
- Grows On
- Wood
- How Big
- 3–10 cm (overall size)
- Encounter Rate
- Occasional
- Habitat
- Fallen elm and other hardwoods
Easily Confused With
Black wood earEar-shaped and gelatinous, dark brown to blackish brown; translucent and rubbery when wet
Snow fungusPure white and translucent, with petal-like lobes layered on layeredFun Fact
A specialty of northeast China, its gel-like flesh is covered in fine down and colored a pale flesh-pink; the dried form needs a long soak to rehydrate.