Colloquially known as jelly drops[1] or the purple jellydisc,[2] this common fungus appears as a gelatinous mass of pinkish or purple-colored discs.

Distributed widely in North America, Eurasia, and Oceania,[3] A. sarcoides is a saprobic fungus and grows in clusters on the trunks and branches of a variety of dead woods.

Field studies suggest that colonization by A. sarcoides of the heartwood of black spruce confers some resistance to further infection by rot-causing fungi.

[7] The specific epithet is derived from Greek and means "fleshy, flesh-like", from σάρξ (sarx, sarc- in compounds), "flesh", and the common adjectival ending -οειδής (-oeides), "similar, -like".

The apothecia, typically 0.5 to 1.5 centimetres (1⁄4 to 5⁄8 in) in diameter, start with a roughly spherical shape, then eventually flatten out to become shallowly cup-shaped with a wavy edge and smooth upper surface.

The sporodochia are similar in color and consistency to the apothecia but very variable in shape, typically club-, spoon-, or tongue-shaped, and bearing minute, cylindrical, straight or curved conidia.

[12] Other similar species include Bulgaria inquinans and Exidia glandulosa,[13] and some of the genus Pachyella (usually producing darker, wider, and flatter discs).

A saprobic fungus, it derives nutrients from decaying organic matter, and as such is usually found growing on the stumps and logs of fallen deciduous trees.

For example, in Europe it has been found on the stems of living spruce (Picea abies) in Finland,[14] France,[15] Great Britain,[16] Norway,[17] and Germany.

[9] A number of field studies conducted in the boreal forest region of Northern Ontario (Canada) showed that A. sarcoides was found to be frequently associated with various deciduous and coniferous tree hosts that had been affected by the fungal disease known as heart rot; this discovery was noted as unusual, as most fungal tree infections are known to be caused by basidiomycetes, not ascomycetes.

[28][29][30][31] In the case of the commercially valuable tree species black spruce (Picea mariana), it was determined that prior colonization by A. sarcoides reduces the incidence of subsequent infection by common fungal pathogens, such as Fomes pini and Scytinostroma galactina; furthermore, A. sarcoides can exist in the wood with no noticeable harmful effects on the host.

[28] A similar relationship was shown later to exist with jack pine trees (species Pinus banksiana), whereby A. sarcoides inhibited Peniophora pseudopini, but had little effect on the subsequent growth of Fomes pini.