The family Tremellaceae, in the order Tremellales, comprises a group of fungi commonly known as jelly fungi due to their gelatinous, often translucent fruiting bodies. Members of this family are typically saprotrophic, feeding on decaying wood or other fungi, though some are parasitic. Tremellaceae species exhibit a wide range of colors and forms, from small, lobed structures to larger, brain-like masses, and they reproduce via basidiospores produced on specialized cells called basidia. They are widely distributed in temperate and tropical regions and are ecologically important in decomposing wood and recycling nutrients in forest ecosystems. Some species also have significance in biotechnology and traditional medicine.