Wildflowers Found in Oregon

Common Gel Bird's Nest

Nidula candida Deeply cup-shaped with smooth inner wall and light brown eggs embedded in a gel. Mushroom: 1/8-3/8 in. wide, 1/4-3/4 in. high; mug-like, with vertical sides and wide flaring mouth; gray to light brown, shaggy. "Eggs:" 1/16-1/8 in. wide; large; grey to light brown; embedded in gel. Found in thickets, on old stems of blackberry and on rotting wood debris. Range from Pacific NW to Central California. The "eggs" are actually little seedlike cases, called peridioles, that contain parts of the spore mass. The "nests" are splash cups that disperse the eggs when raindrops fall in.