Red Wrinkly Growing on Pin Oak

[JoshFromKY]

I was removing dead wood from a Pin Oak on my folks' property and noticed several of the branches I was removing had pebble size black splotches along them and this large deep red fungi growing out that looked like dried cranberries and felt like cold flower petals. I took the pictures a couple days after removing the limbs and by then it had turned black and shrunk to a third its size. If it hadn't been for the fungi I'd have laid the ramial wood in piles around the base of the tree to decompose. Instead I dragged the brush farther back into the woods.

 

I'm fairly new to tree work and fungi. Can someone ID the species?

 

 

Edited April 20, 2017 by JoshFromKY

[David Humphries]

Hello Josh,

 

Difficult to be sure without seeing an image of the fruiting body in its prime but from your description it sounds and looks like the desiccating state of Tremella foliacea, the leafy brain fungus

 

California Fungi: Tremella foliacea

 

 

But it may be worth considering other gelatinous species.

 

 

 

 

 

 

.

[JoshFromKY]

Hello Josh,

 

Difficult to be sure without seeing an image of the fruiting body in its prime but from your description it sounds and looks like the desiccating state of Tremella foliacea, the leafy brain fungus

 

California Fungi: Tremella foliacea

 

 

But it may be worth considering other gelatinous species.

 

 

 

 

 

 

.

 

That sure looks like it looked before desiccation. Thanks!