Species Of The Week Number 11: Jelly Ear

No species has been photographed more for our Meanwood Road Bioblitz than Jelly Ear. No doubt this is due to its striking ear-like appearance, and unusual wobbly feel.

It is in fact an edible fungus and grows on trees including elder and beech. If you keep your eyes open walking through the Ridge or along the woods on Sugarwell Hill you have a good chance of spotting it.

Whilst edible it doesn't in itself have much of a flavour (not that I've tried it myself), and is mainly used to take up the flavours of whatever it is cooked with - a bit like tofu. It is particularly popular in Chinese cooking where it is also known as Wood Ear. Its alleged medicinal properties include being a cure for a sore throat - when boiled in milk.

Whilst the origins of its name seem obvious the name itself is relatively new. Previously it was known as Jew's Ear because it appears on Elder, the tree on which Judas Iscariot was meant to have hanged himself after betraying Jesus. The 'ears' are supposed to represent his tormented soul, growing out of the wood. The current name of Jelly Ear is a bit more descriptive, and loses any anti-semitic overtones although in the latin version of Auricularia auricula-judae it still remains.

Posted on December 8, 2022 09:25 AM by clunym