Dead and dying elder (rarely other hardwoods)

Edible, though it has very little flavour of its own

• ▸ Ear- or shell-shaped, translucent gelatinous fruit body
• ▸ Smooth inner surface, veins and folds on the outside
• ▸ Nut-brown to greyish-olive, rubbery when wet, hard and brittle when dry
• ▸ Grows solitary or in rows on dead wood

Known as wood ear in Asian cooking; when soaked in water it swells back to a gelatinous state and is used in soups and stir-fries.