I think it is a type of fungi. To me it looks like vomit, lol. What I found so curious about this one was that it had some red spots that looked like old dried blood. Your ID or comments will be appreciated.
This message was edited May 6, 2009 4:58 PM
here is a closeup of the spots that looked like dried blood to me, a very dark red color
A slime mould. Despite the revolting looks, it is harmless, and a fascinating creature.
Resin
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slime_mold
Resin, that's exactly it. thank you.
To see some more different types of slime moulds, see the link on this thread: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/921012/
Resin
outstanding photos, thanks for providing links.
Resin, do we have a category to post in the PF?
Not sure - post a query on the plant files help desk: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/f/plantfiles/all/
Resin
Something went amiss there . . . try again:
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/f/plantfiles/all/
edit . . . hmm . . not sure why that's not working! Something to do with auto-conversion for the word "plantfiles". Copy and paste the whole url into the browser, and change the 'P' and 'F' back to lowercase!
This message was edited May 6, 2009 10:52 PM
I will. BTW, it seems that this is commonly known as dog vomit mold, aptly named, if you ask me, lol.
I was just told by admin that this is part of the amoebozoa kingdom and PF is plantae kingdom. but who knows, maybe one day it will be expanded.
Actually you were lucky to see one---they are ephemeral----even though the single amoebas are common in the soil, mulch etc, the aggregated forms, like yours, when all the amoebas congregate are not common. I've only ever seen them in the humid spring time.
I have this in my beds, also. Glad to know it's harmless! Is it connected somehow to the really dark red/brown areas that when you water it, it turns into some sort of very fine powder like stuff and "poofs" into the air? I'm worried it will harm my plants!
Thanks for any info.
Deb
No need to worry, slime moulds only feed on decaying compost, which they convert into plant nutrients.
Resin
We had this covering plants at a nursery I used to work at due to some bad soil mix. It did affect the plants by stunting or killing them. It also caused adverse skin reactions. So I don't think it is as safe as is assumed. I would avoid contact with it.
Thanks for the heads up, Trillium - but it's too "icky" looking to want to mess with! haha!
The latin name for this critter is Fuligo septica, I believe. It isn't an aggregate of amoebae, it is an individual slime mold, kind of like a single giant amoeba. The stage you normally see is the fruiting structure called an aethalium, which is formed from the blob itself, and contains the spores. The spores are the cloud of dust-like stuff you see when you disturb the thing. If you were to see it at night, or early in the morning when conditions are right, it would look like a smear of yellow slime over the surface of the mulch. That is simply pure cytoplasm consisting of ordinary cell contents, i.e. nuclei, mitochondria, and all the rest bound within a cell membrane.
Yes, it is Fuligo septica, a plasmodial slime mold which grows on dead plant material (wood & leaves) in forests, on mulch piles, in gardens, on lawns!
