Mulberry Brain (Tremella moriformis)
Key Details
| Taxonomic Groups: | Fungus or lichen > fungus > Fungus |
| Red List Status: | (Not Relevant) [(not listed)(nr)] |
| D5 Status: | |
| Section 41 Status: | (not listed) |
| Taxa Included Synonym: | (none) |
| UKSI Recommended Name: | Tremella moriformis |
| UKSI Recommended Authority: | Smith & Sowerby |
| UKSI Recommended Qualifier: | (none specified) |
| Red List Citation: | (not listed) |
| Notes on taxonomy/listing: | (none) |
Criteria
| Question 1: | Does species need conservation or recovery in England? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | Assessed as Endangered (2006) - Widespread, but uncommon, in all but the north of England, from where it has been historically absent, or unrecorded. |
| Question 2: | Does recovery/ conservation depend on species-specific actions? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | Without evidence of the current national status of this species it will be very difficult to assess if there are any other species-specific actions required for its conservation; or if it is need of conservation at all. |
| Question 3: | At a landscape scale, would the species benefit from untargeted habitat management to increase habitat mosaics, structural diversity, or particular successional stages? |
| Response: | No |
| Justification: | There is no evidence that an increase in the structural diversity of the habitat will directly benefit this species. |
Species Assessment
| Current step on the Species Recovery Curve (SRC): | 2. Biological status assessment exists |
| Recovery potential/expectation: | Low - Life history factor/s |
| National Monitoring Resource: | Opportunistic - insufficient |
| Species Comments: | This is a jelly fungus that is parasitic on pyrenomycete fungi found on a range of broadleaf trees. |
Key Actions
Key Action 1
Proposed Action: An assessment of the necessary national species records should be made according to IUCN guidelines to provide a recognised redlist status criteria for this species.
Action targets: 2. Biological status assessment exists
Action type: Status survey/review
Duration: 1 year
Scale of Implementation: National
High priority sites: N/A
Comments: As no IUCN recognised assessment exists for this species, this action should be prioritised.
Key Action 2
Proposed Action: Undertake research into the autecology of the species. Most importantly, research should be attempting to discover which species of pyrenomycetous fungus this species parasitises. This research should be carried out on a series of sites representing the complete geographic and habitat range of the species.
Action targets: 4. Autecology and pressures understood
Action type: Scientific research
Duration: 2 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 10 sites
High priority sites: N/A
Comments: Other species of Tremella are parasitic on a wide range of fungal hosts.
Key Action 3
Proposed Action: Once the host fungus has been identified (see previous action). A programme of translocation/reintroduction should be trialled to introduce this species to more sites within its existing range. Sites should be chosen based on availability of host fungus and proximity to existing populations.
Action targets: 6. Recovery solutions trialled
Action type: (Re-)introduction
Duration: 3-5 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 10 sites
High priority sites: N/A
Comments: Unless the host species is known to be very common, it would be advisable to carry out an assessment of known population sizes and distribution. If the host is also a scarce/rare species it may be necessary to culture both ex situ before translocating them together. (If the host fungus is parasitic or pathogenic, rather than saprophytic the effects of introducing it to new sites should also be considered).
Acknowledgment:
Data used on this website are adapted from Threatened species recovery actions 2025 baseline (JP065): Technical report and spreadsheet user guide (Natural England, 2025). Available here.