The Class Heterobasidiomycetes or jelly fungi comprises the five fungal orders: Tremellales, Auriculariales, Dacryomycetales, Ceratobasidiales, and Tulasnellales. These "mushrooms" are so named because their foliose to irregularly branched fruiting body is, or appears to be, the consistency of jelly. Actually, many are somewhat rubbery and gelatinous. When dried, jelly fungi become hard and shriveled; when exposed to water, they return to their original form.
A number of the jelly fungi can be eaten raw; poisonous jelly fungi are rare. However, many species are not of a texture or taste that one would want to consume. They may or may not be sought in mushroom hunting due to their taste, which is described as similar to that of soil. However, some species, Tremella fuciformis for example, are not only edible but highly prized for use in soup and vegetable dishes.
External link
"A modern systematic overview of the Basidiomycota" (http://www.mycokey.com/AAU/Systematics/SystematicsBasiSvamperiget.html), University of Aarhus, Denmark
The food is dissolved by enzymes that the fungi secrete, is then absorbed through thin cell walls, and is distributed by simple circulation, or streaming, of the protoplasm.
Together with bacteria, fungi are responsible for the decay and decomposition of all organic matter, and are found everywhere.
Sugars such as glucose and levulose are usable by most fungi, but the use of other carbon sources depends on the ability of the fungus to produce suitable enzymes.
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