Resupinatus applicatus

Scientific name:  Resupinatus applicatus (Bataille:Fies)
S.F. Gray
Derivation of name: Applicatus means "near" or
"attached" or "close" and probably refers to the absence
of a stipe and the appearence of the cap directly (closely)
attached to the wood.
Synonyms:  Pleurotus applicatus
Common name(s):  Black jelly oyster.
Phylum:   Basidiomycota
Order:   Agaricales
Family:   Tricholomataceae
Occurrence on wood substrate:  Saprobic; scattered
or in dense groups on the underside of deciduous logs;
June through November.  
Dimensions: Caps 2-6 mm wide.    
Cap: Dark bluish-gray to grayish-black; dry; hairy.  
Gills: Arising from point of attachment; whitish at first,
becoming blackish.
Spore print: White.
Stipe: Absent.
Veil: Absent.
Edibility: Unknown.
Comments:  These fruitbodies are very tiny and not
likely to be found unless the undersides of logs are
searched.
 

Figure 1.  Clusters of black jelly oyster on a log. Photo ©
William Roody.

Figure 2. A close up of a portion of Figure 1. Photo ©
William Roody.

Figure 3. Note the manner in which the gills radiate from
the point of attachment of the cap to the wood. Photo ©
Dorothy Smullen.