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Bracket Fungi
The names “polypore” and “brackets” are sometimes used synonymously. Here, “bracket” refers to mushrooms that are fanlike or shelflike in form, where the underside faces down to disperse spores via pores/tubes (some tooth-like), gills, and gill-like structures (see “Smaller Brackets without Pores”). So not all “brackets” are considered polypores here. Oyster and oyster-like mushrooms are gilled brackets here, and thus, their section is on this page.
Buchanan, P. K. (1989). New Zealand Journal of Forestry Science, 19(2/3), 294–305.
Smaller Brackets with Pores
Smaller Brackets without Pores (smooth, gilled, miscellaneous)
Tough, Hard, or Large Brackets with Pores
Oysters and Oyster-like Mushrooms (Gilled)
Oyster and oyster-like mushrooms are shelf or funnel-like, fleshy, have gills, and may or may not have a stalk. The cap might be attached laterally and directly out of the wood, or with decurrent gills running down the stem. They are often in groups, sometimes with stems fused at the base.
Stalked Polypores
Often “polypore” refers to bracket-shaped mushrooms. Stalked polypores are mushrooms with a distinct stem and a cap which has pores on the underside. Here, these are separated into Boletes and all other stalked polypores.
Boletes
The common name “Bolete” refers to a group of mushrooms that are morphologically similar but genetically belong to several genera and families. They are mostly found on the ground (mycorrhizal!) and have distinct caps and stalks like most gilled mushrooms. The pores on the underside of their caps connect to tubes and form a layer that can be easily peeled off of the cap, unlike other polypores. Often, the caps and stems are usually made up of dense, stalky, thick tissue and many have some form of a color change when bruised or cut.
Other Stalked Polypores
This section is a grab bag for polypore mushrooms which have a cap and stalk like typical gilled mushrooms but have pores and are not boletes. A few of them grow on wood like other brackets, and a few grow on the ground.
