Farmscape Ecology Program

a Hawthorne Valley Association Program

Bracket Fungi

Link back to Polypores, Brackets & Oysters page

Definitions: The names “polypore” and “brackets” are often 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.

Ecology: They are mostly saprophytic and/or parasitic, growing on dead and live wood, including twigs, branches, stumps, fallen logs, standing logs, and living trees.

Overview of the different life forms of bracket fungi illustrated as polypores. ***Stipitate mushrooms with one stem are on the “Stalked Polypores” page and clustered stipitate mushrooms like Oysters are on the “Oysters & Oyster-like Mushrooms” page.

Buchanan, P. K. (1989). New Zealand Journal of Forestry Science, 19(2/3), 294–305.

Smaller Brackets with Pores

This section includes bracket fungi with pores that are on the smaller (size and thickness) side. These range from those with caps/bodies that are thin and floppy, clustered or fused in large groups, or thicker, soft, and flexible caps. Here is where you will find Turkey Tail (Trametes versicolor), its relatives, and some of the look-alikes. Some of the “Tough, Hard, of Large Bracket” species can be small (i.e. Thin-Maze Polypore) but they are still conky and tougher. Even the thicker species here are still soft and/or spongy.

Smaller Brackets without Pores 

This section is for smaller brackets that are not polypores and instead hold their spores on a smooth surface, on gills, or gill-like ridges.

**Stereum species are technically crust fungi but intuitively fit nicely with polypores and brackets (see Crust & Parchment fungi).

***See “Oysters and Oyster-like Brackets” below for gilled, bracket fungi which are more fleshy and often have stalks.

Tough, Hard, or Large Brackets

A number of these polypores are tough and woody like the Artist’s Conk because they stick around for a long time, such as the perennial species with fruiting bodies that add a new porous layer on the same cap every year. Some are softer and fleshier when they are young and become tough with age, like the Dryad’s Saddle and the Birch Polypore. The size distinction of this category is a bit arbitrary, most of these brackets are medium to large in length and general thickness but sometimes these tough conks can be small too.

Smaller Brackets with Pores

Turkey Tail (Trametes versicolor)

  • Notes: wide range of color possibilities has led this to being a species complex or group
  • Habitat & Ecology: saprophytic; deciduous logs and stumps, rarely on coniferous; summer and fall
  • Fruiting body: flat brackets that are often overlapping or growing in rosettes (growing out of a spreading layer of crust); fan-shaped, semicircular, or a wider bracket; the surface is finely hairy; concentric zones of color which can take a variety of forms, from a dark blue-gray suite of tones to a more rainbow red-brown-blue, bright red, orange and white, or just white and brown
  • Underside: white underside with very small pores, might yellow with age; no bruising
  • Flesh: thin, tough, and white; smell not distinctive
  • Spore print: white
  • Look-a-likes: Violet-toothed Polypore (Trichaptum biforme) has teeth underneath instead of a smooth surface; Cerrena unicolor has zones of muted coloring but has a maze/toothy underside, and often with algae; Lenzites betulina’s cap looks identical but it has gills, not pores.

Trametes pubescens

  • Habitat & Ecology: saprophytic; deciduous wood, rarely on conifers; summer and fall
  • Fruiting body: flat and fan-shaped bracket, semicircular or an elongated bracket, maybe laterally fused with others; matted hairs; cream-colored — might have zones of contrasting texture but no concentric zones of color (might be subtle versions of the same color)
  • Underside: angular pores; surface white, turning yellow with age
  • Flesh: tough and white; smell not distinctive
  • Spore print: white
  • Look-a-likes: Hairy Bracket (Trametes hirsutum) is densely hairy, the cap has concentric zones of greys and browns, and does not grow in as large of groups; Trametes villosa has larger pores that begin to look more tooth-like, is very hairy, and is on deciduous and coniferous (especially Red Cedar) wood; White Cheese Polypore (Tyromyces chioneus) is usually thicker/larger, wet/spongy, usually grows alone or in small groups, and has a sweet fragrance.

Hairy Bracket (Trametes hirsuta)

  • Notes:
  • Habitat & Ecology: saprophytic; on deciduous wood, rarely coniferous; usually in small clusters; summer and fall
  • Fruiting body: semicircular and flat; thick near the base; the surface is very fuzzy or wooly; concentric zones of color (sometimes faint) – overall white-brown-gray colored, often white zones near the middle and brown zones near or on the margin
  • Underside: round or angular pores; surface white, turning grey or yellow with age
  • Flesh: white and tough; smell fragrant or mild
  • Spore print: white
  • Look-a-likes: Trametes pubescens is not as hairy, grows in large clusters, and is uniformly cream-colored, not having concentric zones of color.

Lumpy Bracket (Trametes gibbosa)

  • Notes: introduced species
  • Habitat & Ecology: saprophytic; on deciduous logs and stumps, usually alone or in small fused groups; spring to fall
  • Locally — I see it in floodplains or wet places and on associated species like Cottonwood.
  • Fruiting body: thick, fan-shaped, semicircular or spreading bracket; surface with zones of fine hairiness and baldness, lumpy; white, and algae is often present; laterally attached with no stem
  • Underside: pores shaped like slits, or rounded rectangles; white or brownish surface; may or may not bruise yellow
  • Flesh: thick, moist, leathery, and white; smell not distinct
  • Spore print: white
  • Look-a-likes: Often mistaken for or referred to as Trametes elegans in field guides, but this species range is in the tropics; another unnamed Trametes looks similar but has mazelike pores; Mossy Maple Polypore (Oxyporus populinus) is also a white lumpy bracket but forms irregular or messy stacks of brackets fused together on living maples and other deciduous species.

Violet-toothed Polypore (Trichaptum biforme)

  • Notes: This is one of the most frequently encountered mushrooms. After these mushrooms have faded to dull browns and greys, they stick around for a very long time.
  • Habitat & Ecology: saprophytic; on deciduous wood in dense clusters, often overlapping each other and emerging from a spreading surface; spring to winter
  • Fruiting body: fan-shaped or semicircular bracket; concentric zones of yellow-brown, gray, lilac coloring, often with green algae
  • Underside: violet at first, fading to yellow-brown; pores are elongated, splitting into teeth with age
  • Flesh: white, tough, leathery
  • Spore print: white
  • Look-a-likes: Trametes species have pores underneath and none are violet; ***See below photos –> Trichaptum abietinum is on coniferous wood, is hairier, and retains purple color longer; Trichaptum subchartaceum is on poplars, and pores remain circular.

Trichaptum subchartaceum –> pores don’t turn into teeth, grows on poplars, is larger than Violet-toothed Polypore

Trichaptum abietinum –> on coniferous wood, is hairier and retains purple color longer; in Columbia County, it seems to be common on Hemlocks

Little Nest Polypore (Poronidulus conchifer syn. Trametes conchifer)

  • Notes: formerly belonged to Trametes and not is the only species in its genus
  • Habitat & Ecology: saprophytic; deciduous wood, primarily elm; fruit from spring to fall, but stick around for a while
  • Fruiting body: first grow as cups (with stems!) which expand into fans or shelves with age but retain a circular base that looks as if it was nailed onto the wood; the cap surface has concentric zones of white to gray wrinkles; no hairs; coloring ranges from grey to brown to white when old (pictures); margin is irregular; dry
  • Underside: circular to angular pores and relatively large; white surface, becoming yellow; Flesh: white, tough, thin; smell not distinctive
  • Spore print: white
  • Look-a-likes: Similar to white Trametes species except for cup-shaped fruiting bodies and the distinct stem and attachment.

 

White Cheese Polypore (Tyromyses chioneus)

  • Notes: 
  • Habitat & Ecology: saprophytic; usually solitary on downed logs of deciduous species, especially birch; summer and fall
  • Fruiting body: convex bracket; fuzzy at first but becoming crusty and bumpy with age; margin does not curve; relatively large and thick; white, no concentric coloring; dry
  • Underside: pores are circular to angular and very small; pore surface is white and yellows with age; no bruising
  • Stem: lateral attachment with no stem
  • Flesh: soft and spongy, can be very saturated with water; smell is fragrant, like anise
  • Spore print: white
  • Look-alikes: Trametes pubescens is the only white turkey tail-like mushroom with no concentric zones of color, but it is very smooth, has a thinner, tough texture, and usually grows in larger groups; Bicolored Bracket (Gloeoporus dichrous) looks similar from above (although a bit smaller) but does not have a white underside.

Bicolored Bracket (Gloeoporus dichrous) 

  • Habitat & Ecology: saprophytic; on deciduous wood, rarely coniferous and sometimes on the decaying bodies of other large polypores; spring to fall
  • Fruiting body: fan-shaped, semicircular, or a spreading bracket that looks like a crust, with much of the spore-bearing surface facing outward and not much of a cap; velvety or finely hairy; might have concentric zones of texture but is uniformly white or cream colored
  • Underside: very tiny pores; brown to red to orange concentric zones of coloring
  • Flesh: rubbery, white; smell not distinct
  • Look-a-likes: The combination of the white cap (if present) and the brown pored underside is unique. White Cheese Polypore (Tyromyses chioneus) and Trametes pubescens have similar white and not zoned caps but they both have white pores underneath. See crust fungi also.

  

Northern Cinnabar Polypore (Pycnoporus cinnabarinus syn. Trametes cinnabarina)

  • Notes: somewhat rare
  • Habitat & Ecology: saprophytic; deciduous wood, rarely coniferous; spring to fall
  • Locally — Photos are from Mt. Washington Forest around Guilder Pond.
  • Fruiting body: semicircular or elongated bracket; roughened surface that’s dry and may be hairy; bright orange-red and not zoned as other Trametes are
  • Underside: stalkless and has round or angular pores; orange to red
  • Flesh: tough, maybe spongy and orange; smell fragrant or not distinctive
  • Spore print: white
  • Look-a-likes: Southern Cinnabar Polypore (Trametes sanguinea or coccinea), is near the Gulf states but the range does extend farther up the east coast and the fruiting body is smaller, thinner, and shinier.

Hexagonal-pored Polypore (Neofavolus alveolaris) 

  • Notes: indicator species that morels are in season but stick around long after
  • Habitat & Ecology: saprophytic; on deciduous sticks and branches, with the bark still on and maybe alive, common on Shagbark Hickory wood; late spring to fall
  • Fruiting body: kidney bean or fan-shaped bracket; convex to plane; surface covered in scales, arranged radially; yellow-orange color but fades to white as the year goes on; dry
  • Underside: diamond-shaped or honeycomb-like pores; white to orange
  • Stem: stubby, white, and laterally attached stem
  • Flesh: white and thin; smell not distinctive
  • Spore print: white
  • Look-a-likes: Lentinus species and some other stalked polypores also have angular pores but have much more prominent stems; could be confused for Dryad’s Saddle (Cerioporus squamosus) but they are much smaller.

Mossy Maze Polypore (Cerrena unicolor)

  • Notes: 
  • Habitat & Ecology: saprophytic; deciduous wood; year-round
  • Locally — These were on a Box Elder in a young floodplain forest at Siegel Kline Kill.
  • Fruiting body: semicircular, shelving bracket that grows in clusters; might be arising from a resupinate surface; very fuzzy; concentrically zoned color of muted grey, tan, blue; often with green algae or moss growing on the surface; thick when fresh
  • Underside: maze-like pores (or labyrinthiformis) that might degrade into teeth-like tubes; white to grey
  • Flesh: thin and with a black layer separating the flesh from the cap surface
  • Spore print: white
  • Look-a-likes: The cap is similar to many of the “smaller brackets with pores” but is distinguished by the maze-like pores. The Thin-maze Flat Polypore (Daedaleopsis confragosa) and Oak Maze Polypore (Daedalea quercina) usually grow alone or in groups of a few brackets spread far apart.

 

Smaller Brackets without Pores 

False Turkey Tail (Stereum ostrea)

  • Notes: Recently, the true Stereum ostrea was found to be native to Indonesia, and the ones we see here are different, North American species. The name S. ostrea in field guides encompasses a group of three species of similar morphology S. fasciatum, S. lobatum, and S. subtomentosum. Here is a nice breakdown of those (summary below the photos). For simplicity, this guide will refer to the species group.
  • Habitat & Ecology: saprophytic; on deciduous wood in large groups, especially oak; all four seasons
  • Fruiting body: attaches to wood laterally, forming mostly uniform fans or petals, which can also curl into funnels; fans are overlapping but are not usually fused at the base, sometimes bases are very narrow; the surface is hairy or velvety; concentric zones of coloring, ranging from browns, reds, and oranges and might have green from algae
  • Underside: no pores; white to pale reddish brown, often also a gradient or with similar rings of color as the upper surface; no stem
  • Flesh: thin and leathery; smell not distinctive
  • Spore print: white
  • Look-a-likes: Turkey Tail (Trametes versicolor) and other Trametes species have pores on the underside; Violet-toothed Polypore (Trichaptum biforme) has teeth underneath; Crowded Parchment (Stereum complicatum) spreads over the wood in addition to shelving. Also see notes on other similar Stereum species below photos.

   

Stereum species notes from the Stereum MycoGuide Page by P.R. Leacock

Stereum ostrea group

  • Stereum fasciatum – no staining, matted surface with projecting hairs that don’t wear off, the surface under hairs turns brown to black with age, the underside is usually pale, on deciduous wood
  • Stereum lobatum – stains yellow when rubbed underneath; felted layer of hairs that wear off in bands to reveal brown surface beneath – naked zones, narrow base; on deciduous wood
  • Stereum subtomentosum – stains yellow; lobed and not flat, margin might be curved down when dry, hairs are projecting and wooly zoned white and pale yellow cap, might have bands of worn off hair but not as much as S. lobatum; on deciduous wood – prefers alder but is also on beech, birch, hornbeam (Carpinus) and maple

Stereum gausapatum – stains red, caps are crowded or in ruffled clusters, hairy cap and coloring similar to S. ostrea group, smells like almonds, grows primarily on oak

Stereum striatum – silky-striate, silver cap, pale gray-orange underneath, on twigs and branches of Musclewood/Ironwood (Carpinus caroliniana)

Stereum sanguinolentum – stains red and is on conifers (photos from Hemlock roots at Hawthorne Valley)

Crowded Parchment (Stereum complicatum syn. S. rameale)

  • Notes: no pores → technically a crust fungi
  • Habitat & Ecology: saprophytic; on deciduous wood, especially oak, in large groups or as a continuous crusting layer; all four season
  • Fruiting body: forms a crusting layer when individuals are fused to be sheet-like with some folded, bracketed sections with a distinct cap; the cap side has concentric zones of vibrant orange and brown tones; brackets are very wrinkly or frayed

  • Technical terms for this growth form are resupinate (crusting, with no cap side) to effused-reflexed (resupinate with a folded, shelved edge)

  • Underside: smooth, without pores and orange
  • Flesh: thin, tough; smell indistinct
  • Spore print: white
  • Look-a-likes: Sometimes, these mushrooms don’t have as much of the spreading surface, and look more like a bunch of small, frayed brackets. False Turkey Tail (Stereum ostrea group) does not form a spreading surface and has a more even and rounded margin; some people lump Hairy Parchment (Stereum hirsutum) and Crowded parchment (Stereum complicatum) together.

Hairy Parchment (Stereum hirsutum)

  • Notes: This species might be a variation of Crowded Parchment (Stereum complicatum) 
  • Habitat & Ecology: saprophytic; on deciduous wood, especially oak, birch, and beech – sometimes on conifers; all seasons
  • Fruiting body: fans which might be semicircular or more irregularly shaped; laterally fused; densely hairy; margin light-colored; concentric zones of reds, browns, yellows, and maybe with some algae
  • Underside: smooth; yellow-brown or grayish brown; staining yellow
  • Flesh: tough; smell indistinct
  • Spore print: white
  • Look-alikes: Some people lump it with Crowded Parchment (Stereum complicatum) but it generally has larger fruiting bodies, is fused laterally, and is not as orange; False Turkey Tail (Stereum ostrea group) has more defined zones of color; Stereum striatum is silky-striate, looking silvery, and on branches and twigs.

 

Oak Curtain Crust Fungus (Hymenochaete rubiginosa)

  • Notes: not included in very many field guides and online resources, original classification in the UK
  • Habitat & Ecology: saprophytic; on oak wood without bark (possibly other deciduous wood?)
  • Fruiting body: “effused-reflexed” crust, where part of the body is a spreading crust and part of it folds outward to form a cap – can be mostly spreading or mostly bracketing; bristles on the dark brown to black cap; dry
  • Underside: smooth; rusty or red-brown color on the crusting surface
  • Flesh: tough and brown
  • Chemical reactions (via Mushroomexpert.com): KOH turns flesh from darker brown to black 
  • Spore print: white
  • Look-a-likes: Crust and crust-like fungi are nearly impossible to identify without a cap so the underside might look similar to other rusty crusts. 

Ivory-gilled Polypore (Lenzites betulina syn. Trametes betulina)

  • Notes: photos are of a dried specimen
  • Habitat & Ecology: saprophytic; on deciduous wood, rarely coniferous and loosely overlapping groups; summer and fall
  • Fruiting body: flat, semicircular or fan-shaped bracket; velvety; concentric zones of tan, gray, cream or peachy orange; emerging from a slightly spreading layer
  • Underside: gills!; distantly spaced; gills break their continuity from base to margin, looking like many short gills but they do not fork; white and not pore-like
  • Flesh: white and tough; smell not distinctive
  • Spore print: white
  • Look-a-likes: The cap coloring and true gills underneath are a dead giveaway. It could be confused with Thin-maze Flat Polypore (Daedaleopsis confragosa) or Oak Maze Polypore (Daedalea quercina) but these have maze-like pores, not true gills. 

Crimped Gill (Plicaturopsis crispa)

  • Notes: emerges in the early stages of decomposition
  • Habitat & Ecology: saprophytic; deciduous branches; fall
  • Fruiting body: small shell-like brackets with rounded edges; may look like a spreading crust when branches are turned over; fuzzy; white when young, then with concentric rings of reddish-brown fading to white
  • Underside: wavy, “crimped” gills that look more like ridges than “traditional” gills; white with blue tones
  • Flesh: thin and pliant; smell not distinctive
  • Spore print: white
  • Look-alikes: Crowded Parchment (Stereum complicatum) when mostly folded into shelves or brackets looks similar, but the margin is thin and often frayed, and the underside of smooth; the Luminescent Pannelus (Panellus stipticus) is another small, floppy, and gilled bracket mushroom but it has more uniform gills, is pink and oyster-like.

 

Split Gill Mushroom (Schizophyllum commune)

  • Notes: 
  • Habitat & Ecology: saprophytic; on deciduous alive or dead branches and twigs or lumber; all seasons
  • Fruiting body: semicircular or shell-like caps, may be lobed; scalloped margin; surface is densely hairy; white, grey-brown
  • Underside: gills are straight, split, and fuzzy in between them
  • Flesh: tough and flexible; smell indistinct
  • Spore print: white

Tough, Hard, and Large Brackets

Blushing Bracket (Daedaleopsis confragosa)

  • Notes: highly variable
  • Habitat & Ecology: saprophytic; on deciduous logs and stumps, rarely on oak or coniferous wood; can be alone or in a big group; summer and fall
  • Cap: thin and flat, circular fan, maybe with lobes; surface is finely hairy and has concentric zones of coloring and texture; margin thin; pale brown, reddish; dry
  • Underside: elongated pores that seem like gills fusing to create long spaces, but the pores can also be more scrunched to look like a maze rather than elongated; pore walls are somewhat thin and are white when young, becoming yellow-brown; pores bruise pink to red when touched but may not if the body is old
  • Flesh: tough; white, pink, or brown
  • Spore print: white
  • Look-a-likes: Oak Maze Polypore (Daedalea quercina) is a thick bracket with much thicker pored walls, grows primarily on oak wood, and does not redden with touch underneath.

 

Oak Maze Polypore (Daedalea quercina)

  • Notes: The name “daedalea” comes from a character in Greek mythology, an architect called Daedalus who designed a labyrinth to trap the minotaur for King Minos of Crete
  • Habitat & Ecology: saprophytic; on oak wood, occasionally on other deciduous wood; all seasons
  • Cap: thick semicircular bracket, expanding a bit above and below; surface smooth or fuzzy; coloring is light at first, becoming darker with age, especially near the point of attachment; dry
  • Underside: maze-like pores with very thick walls, some areas might look more like pores or gills; white when fresh and yellow-tan when older; not bruising
  • Flesh: white or light brown, tough; smell not distinctive, or unpleasant
  • Spore print: white
  • Look-alikes: Thin-maze Flat Polypore (Daedaleopsis confragosa) is a thinner bracket with thin pore walls, and it grows on other hardwoods and rarely conifers.

 

Tinder Conk or Horse’s Hoof (Fomes fomentarius group) 

  • Notes: Very common! Ancient humans used this mushroom to start fires because it burns slowly, and as a powder can be used to staunch wounds. It (and the Birch Polypore) was found with the oldest natural mummy, the Iceman Ötzi, who died along the border of Austria and Italy 5000 years ago. This name refers to the European species, and the North American one is called Fomes excavatus. Both are probably here in the US, so for simplicity, we shall use the European name.
  • Habitat & Ecology: parasitic and saprophytic; single to scattered on deciduous wood or living trees, especially birch and beech but also cherry, maple, poplar, and hickory; perennial species, which adds a new layer of pores each year, so the fruiting body is out year-round
  • Cap: hoof-shaped, broadly attached to the substrate; the surface is smooth/varnished or velvety when young and then becomes cracked with age; cap has “stacked” lumpy zones that range in color, including grey, brown, or reddish which might be darker near the base and lighter near the margin; no stem
  • Underside: small and circular pores, which become stuffed with white material; grey surface, turning brown with age; slightly darkens when bruised
  • Flesh: tan and corky/tough
  • Spore print: white or pale yellow
  • Look-a-likes: The Artist’s Conk (Ganoderma applanatum) can look similar when the cap is not brown but stains brown on the pore surface.

Cracked Cap Polypore (Fulvifomes robiniae syn. Phellinus robiniae)

  • Notes: more common in the midwest but can occur wherever Black Locust is found
  • Habitat & Ecology: saprophytic and parasitic; on Black Locust dead wood or a living tree; perennial species, which adds a new layer of pores each year, so the fruiting body is out year-round
  • Cap: semicircular or irregular bracket shape; flat to convex or hoof-shaped with age; velvety when young, becoming cracked and with concentric furrows; dark brown or black with lighter shades along the margin; often with green moss or algae; no stem
  • Underside: flat pore surface; very small, round pores; light tan to brown, discoloring light when scratched
  • Flesh: red-brown, yellow-brown; woody; odor fragrant when fresh
  • Chemical reactions (via Mushroomexpert.com): this genus instantly turns black on flesh and tubes from KOH
  • Spore print: brown
  • Look-alikes: Fleck-fleshed Polypore (Phellinus igniarius) is found on the lower trunk of living deciduous species or dead wood, and has white flecks in its red-brown flesh – most common species of Phellinus in our region; Phellinus everhartii is on oak; Phellinus weirianus is on walnut; Phellinus tremulae is on aspen.

Birch Polypore (Fomitopsis betulina syn. Piptoporus betulinus)

  • Notes:
  • Habitat & Ecology: saprophytic and sometimes parasitic on birch; all seasons
  • Cap: the round bracket can vary between hoof-like or wide and flat (photos show a specimen on the smaller side); the margin is thick and inrolled, forming a rim or lip around the pored underside; the surface is smooth and soft; the uniform coloring is pale brown and lighter along the margin, “peeling” off with age; no stem
  • Underside: small, round, or angular pores that might look tooth-like with age; surface white, turning pale brown; not bruising
  • Flesh: white and thick; the smell is fragrant when fresh
  • Spore print: white
  • Look-a-likes: Habitat (birch) + smooth, soft cap + inrolled margin should be all you need! The Tinder Conk (Fomes fomentarius group) is another hoof-shaped mushroom on birch, but it has distinct zones of coloring and is corky and tough.

Oak Bracket or Weeping Bracket (Pseudoinonotus dryadeus syn. Inonotus dryadeus)

  • Notes: 
  • Habitat & Ecology: parasitic; at the base (butt rot) of dead or alive oaks; all seasons, mostly fall
  • Locally — This is from the Rheinstrom Hill Audubon. It doesn’t seem super common but it could be a product of how common the host is.
  • Cap: fan-shaped or irregular, lumpy bracket with a thick margin, sitting at the bottom of the trunk; velvety or smooth with age; yellow-cream to tan and turning browner with age; surface of pockmarked and when young, exudes drops of amber liquid (photos don’t show the liquid but you can sort of see the dried up liquid and the pits); no stem
  • Underside: very small circular and shallow pores; dull yellow-tan, becoming brown and slowly bruising brown; also has exuding drops of liquid when young
  • Flesh: woody and dark brown near the center, fading at the margin; zoned
  • Spore print: yellow-brown
  • Look-alikes: The shape and coloring are similar to many of the tough brackets here, but note the very small pores and pockmarks on the surface. Without the droplets of liquid, you might still be able to see dried, shiny liquid.

Dryad’s Saddle (Cerioporus squamosus) 

  • Notes: 
  • Habitat & Ecology: saprophytic on deciduous logs and stumps and parasitic on living deciduous trees, especially Box Elder and Silver Maple; spring to fall
  • Cap: large fan, plano-convex, and maybe depressed; yellow colored under brown scales; the center and the scales darken with age; dry
  • Underside: large, angular, or irregular pores; running down the stem; white
  • Stem: off-center; velvety black at the base
  • Flesh: thick and soft when young, becoming corky with age; mealy smell
  • Spore print: 
  • Look-a-likes: Hexagonal-pored Polypore (Neofavolus alveolaris) is similar but smaller in size, does not have a distinct stem, and grows on branches rather than well-decayed logs or stumps.

 

 

Artist’s Conk (Ganoderma applanatum)

  • Notes: This species is known as the Artist’s Conk because of how one can “draw” on the white, pored underside that will remain for years if picked or until the next year when a new pore surface forms
  • Habitat & Ecology: saprophytic and sometimes parasitic on most species of deciduous trees and rarely conifers; perennial, adding a new layer of pores each year
  • Cap: convex or plane; semicircular or irregular (see photos!) bracket; smooth and furrowed surface; warm brown at first, then muted or dull brown with white at the margin, not lacquer-like as in other Ganodermas; thick at the point of attachment; dry; no stem
  • Underside: tiny circular pores; the surface is white-gray and bruises brown like all Ganoderma species, but with age becomes dirty brown
  • Flesh: thin excluding the pore tubes, brown, and woody; annual layers of pore tubes in cross-section (often stuffed with white mycelium and layers separated by brown tissue) shows how many years old; smell not distinctive
  • Spore print: red-brown
  • Look-alikes: Ganoderma lobatum is similar but grows a new cap underneath the previous one each year, making them look stacked, plus, the cap is softer; Tinder Conk (Fomes fomentarius group) has a white spore print and does not bruise.

Ganoderma sessile

  • Notes: the true Reishi, Ganoderma lucidum, is non-native and only occurs in Utah and California where it was probably introduced
  • Habitat & Ecology: saprophytic and sometimes parasitic; on deciduous trees; spring to fall
  • Cap: semicircular bracket; lacquered-looking; margin thick; red-purple-brown, might have concentric zones of color but is often solid; smooth and dry
  • Underside: small, circular pores; whiteish when young, turning brown; bruises darker brown like all Ganoderma species
  • Stem: usually absent but might be present and stubby
  • Flesh: pale brown and leathery; concentric growth zones in cross-section of flesh; no melanoid bands in flesh (see examples here); smell not distinctive
  • Spore print: red-brown
  • Look-alikes: Ganoderma curtisii usually has a stem (but this is not always a reliable difference) and does not have concentric growth zones in the flesh and does have melanoid bands; Ganoderma tsugae grows on conifers, especially Hemlock.

Hemlock Varnish Shelf (Ganoderma tsugae)

  • Notes: the true Reishi, Ganoderma lucidum, is non-native and only occurs in Utah and California where it was probably introduced
  • Habitat & Ecology: saprophytic and parasitic; conifers, but primarily hemlock; spring to fall
  • Cap: knob or spoon-shaped at first, becoming a broad fan-shape; lacquered-looking with lumpy zones; margin]; reddish brown or orangey-brown and often with a white margin when young; smooth and dry
  • Underside: small, circular, or angular pores; white when young, becoming brown with age; bruises brown like all Ganoderma species
  • Stem: usually present, but might not be; attached to cap laterally or standing upright; colored and lacquered like the cap; smooth and dry
  • Flesh: white and soft, becoming tougher with age; no concentric growth zones and melanoid bands in cross-section of flesh (see examples here)
  • Spore print: red-brown
  • Look-a-likes: Ganoderma sessile usually doesn’t have a stem, grows on deciduous trees and does have concentric growth zones in the flesh; Ganoderma curtisii also grows on deciduous trees and does have melanoid bands.

 

Mossy Maple Polypore (Oxyporus populinus)

  • Notes: 
  • Habitat & Ecology: parasitic; on living deciduous trees, especially maples; perennial, adding a new layer of pores each year
  • Fruiting body: bracket-shaped and broadly attached to the tree, but it also forms irregularly fused stacks of brackets and lumpy tissue
  • Cap: surface and body are lumpy and velvety or smooth; usually covered in moss up to margin; white or off-white; dry
  • Underside: very small pores; white
  • Flesh: tough and white; smell not distinctive
  • Spore print: white
  • Look-a-likes: The Lumpy Bracket (Trametes gibbosa) is also a lumpy bracket but it has larger, more visible pores which are angular, algae rather than moss on the cap and concentric zones; Northern Tooth Fungus (Climacodon septentionalis) has more defined stacks of caps, is toothed underneath, and is parasitic on deciduous trees like Green Ash, Sugar Maple, and Beech (pictured last).

Northern Tooth Fungus (Climacodon septentionalis)

Resinous Polypore (Ischnoderma resinosum)

  • Notes: This is the ultimate pancake mushroom that even comes with resinous syrup
  • Habitat & Ecology: saprophytic;coniferous or deciduous wood; fall
  • Fruiting body: stacked, irregular brackets; the pored surface may spread below the bracket along the wood (pictured in the first two photos), or it might grow underwood and without a cap (effused-reflexed or resupinate)
  • Cap: smooth surface; margin thick and pillowy when young and then edged when older; dark brown, fading in a gradient of brown/red to a white or tan margin; dry; no stem
  • Underside: a very small round or angular pores; the surface is yellow to tan; exudes amber liquid when young; bruises brown quickly
  • Flesh: very soft and squishy, later becoming tougher and thinner (the last two photos are the same mushroom a few weeks apart); white and dull brown, darkening with age; smell not distinctive
  • Spore print: white
  • Look-alikes: A related species, Ischnoderma benzoinum, is on conifers, is overall skinnier, and has darker flesh; Artist’s Conk (Ganoderma applanatum) and Tinder Conk (Fomes fomentarius group) are hard even when young and have varnished caps.

Dyer’s Polypore (Phaeolus schweinitzii)

  • Notes: 
  • Habitat & Ecology: parasitic (butt rot – attacks roots and heartwood) and saprophytic; at the base of or on the ground next to dead or alive conifers, or especially White Pine; fall and winter
  • Fruiting body: lumpy mass or irregularly shaped lobes that can flatten into a bracket
  • Cap: velvety but becoming bald with age; margin pale; concentric zones of coloring, ranging from tan, gold, yellow, olive, brown, dark brown – brighter colored when young; dry
  • Underside: very small, angular pores by the margin and wider pores near the stem, running down it; bright yellow when young, turning greenish yellow and eventually brown; bruising brown quickly
  • Stem: central, short and thick; velvety
  • Flesh: soft and yellow-brown when young, becoming leathery and rusty brown; zoned; smell sweet or not distinctive
  • Spore print: white to yellow-white
  • Look-alikes: 

Chicken-of-the-woods (Laetiporus sulphurous and Laetiporus cincinnatus)

  • Notes: The more commonly known Chicken-of-the-woods is Laetiporus sulphurous, but there is also a White-pored Chicken-of-the-woods, Laetiporus Cincinnatus, (second row of photos). These Chickens are good edibles, having chicken-like flesh, but some people find it a bit indigestible or that it makes their lips tingly. When trying new wild mushrooms, it’s always good to try a small amount, make sure there is no bug damage, and thoroughly cook! See the look-a-like section for similar species.
  • Habitat & Ecology: parasitic and saprophytic (by the time these two species have fruited, they have probably killed their host tree and are processing the dead wood); can fruit from spring through fall and possibly multiple times

    • L. sulphurous is a heart rot, so the mushrooms grow high above the ground or high on fallen logs. They mostly grow on oak trees but can also be on other deciduous species.

    • L. cincinnatus is a butt rot, so its mushrooms grow at the base of the tree or on the roots. They are primarily on oak trees.

  • Fruiting body: large, clustering shelves or rosettes on fallen logs; fans are lumpy and irregular; when young, the margins are thick and rounded and eventually become thin and brittle with age; coloring is bright orange with some concentric zones of color, and fading to a yellow (L. sulphurous) or white (L. cincinnatus) edge
  • Underside: looks smooth but has very small pores

    • L. sulphurous – bright yellow pores

    • L. cincinnatus – white pores

  • Flesh: yellow (L. sulphurous) or white (L. cincinnatus) and thick with moisture when young, peeling like cooked chicken; eventually the flesh loses its color and turns to white, chalky material
  • Spore print: white
  • Look-a-likes: Laetiporus huroniensis grows on conifers (like Hemlock) and usually in old forests, originally described around the Great Lakes but has been observed in the Northeast – edibility might be different; Jack o’ Lantern mushrooms are also orange but have gills.

Hen-of-the-woods (Grifola frondosa)

  • Notes: in Japan, this mushroom is called Maitake, the “dancing mushroom” (mai- for dance and -take for mushroom), possibly for its resemblance to a skirt flowing while dancing or for how people dance with joy when they find it
  • Habitat & Ecology: weakly parasitic and saprophytic; at the base of old oak trees; perennial species that can fruit multiple times in a season and the same place year to year; fall
  • Fruiting body: large clumps (often 1-2 ft wide); clustering rosettes of fan-shaped caps, almost coral-like 
  • Cap: smooth or finely velvet surface; wavy margins; mottled brown-grey coloring, lightening with age to yellow; dry
  • Underside: medium-sized and angular, almost tooth-like pores that run down the stem; gray to white, then yellow; not bruising
  • Stem: short; caps attached at a central, fleshy base and an underground tuber-like mass called a sclerotium
  • Flesh: firm and white; pleasant smell
  • Spore print: white
  • Look-a-likes: Meripilus sumstinei is also at the base of trees (grows on buried wood) but has broader, fan-shaped caps, tiny pores and stains black; Polyporus umbellatus is a cluster of more defined, round caps and stems that resemble oyster mushrooms.