y of A. auricula-judae is normally up to 90 mm (3.5 in) across and up to 3 mm (0.12 in) thick. It is often reminiscent of a floppy ear, but can also be cup-shaped. It is attached to the substrate laterally and sometimes by a very short stalk. Fruit bodies have a tough, gelatinous, elastic texture when fresh, but dry hard and brittle. The upper surface is a reddish-tan-brown with a purplish tint and finely pilose (covered in tiny, grey, downy hairs). It can be smooth, as is typical of younger specimens, or undulating with folds and wrinkles. The colour becomes darker with age. The under surface is a lighter grey-brown and smooth, sometimes folded or wrinkled, and may have "veins", making it appear even more ear-like. Entirely white fruit bodies are occasionally encountered and were once given the name Auricularia lactea, but they are merely unpigmented forms and often occur in company with ordinary, pigmented fruit bodies. Microscopic features The spores of A. auricula-judae are allantoid (sausage-shape