Guepinia
| Guepinia | |
|---|---|
Apparently Secure (NatureServe) | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Basidiomycota |
| Class: | Agaricomycetes |
| Order: | Auriculariales |
| Genus: | Guepinia Fr. |
| Species: | G. helvelloides
|
| Binomial name | |
| Guepinia helvelloides (DC.) Fr.
| |
| Synonyms | |
|
Guepinia rufa (Jacq.) Beck | |
| Guepinia helvelloides | |
|---|---|
| Mycological characteristics | |
| Smooth hymenium | |
| Cap is depressed | |
| Hymenium attachment is irregular or not applicable | |
| Stipe is bare | |
| Spore print is white | |
| Ecology is saprotrophic | |
| Edibility is edible | |
Guepinia is a genus of fungus in the Auriculariales order. It is a monotypic genus, containing the single species Guepinia helvelloides, commonly known as the apricot jelly or salmon salad. The fungus produces salmon-pink, ear-shaped, gelatinous fruit bodies that grow solitarily or in small tufted groups on soil, usually associated with buried rotting wood. The fruit bodies are up to 10 cm (4 in) tall and up to 17 cm (6+3⁄4 in) wide; the stalks are not well-differentiated from the cap. It has a white spore deposit, and the oblong to ellipsoid spores measure 9–11 by 5–6 micrometers.
The fungus is widely distributed in the Northern Hemisphere, and has also been collected from South America. Although rubbery, the flesh is edible; it may be eaten raw with salads, pickled, or candied.