Polypores and Bracket Fungi of Newport Forest

Bracket polypores are bracket-like or shelf-like   Poly pore describes the spore-producing underside of cap. Polypores are usually described as tough, leathery, or woody, but some fresh ones can be soft and wrung out like a sponge.  Poly pores are the main wood-rotting fungi.

Jessica VanZwol helps us collect a polypore specimen.

Daedaleopsis confragosa (Blushing Brackets) 

Specimen #9

"Commonly referred to as the Blushing Bracket, because there are often shades of pink or mauve in the upper surface, Daedaleopsis confragosa is a tough, slow-growing fungus.  Often these distinctive brackets can be seen on riverside willows in midwinter, when very few other fungi are in evidence. The bright brackets catch any sunlight and stand out starkly from the dark background of the branches or trunks to which they are attached."

For more information:
http://www.first-nature.com/fungi/daedaleopsis-confragosa.php

Left specimen #17, Right specimen #10

Remember Daedalus in Greek mythology? Flew too close to the sun. This polypore has a waxy top surface, like Daedalus's wings. 

According to MushroomExpert.com: "Daedaleopsis confragosa is a highly variable species--or cluster of species, perhaps--recognized by its elongated, maze-like pores; its thin, whitish to brownish cap with zones of color; and the tendency of its pore surface to bruise reddish. However, each of these theoretically distinctive features is subject to variation. The pore surface can develop in odd ways, leading to confusion with round-pored species, or even with "gilled polypores" like Lenzites betulina. To make matters worse, the zones of color on the cap are not always clearly evident, and the pore surface does not always bruise red, especially if you are looking at an older specimen. 

It grows on a variety of hardwoods, but seems to have a particular taste for the wood of dying flowering dogwood trees (Cornus florida)."

Blushing Brackets were first recorded at Newport Forest in 2001.

Location and Description of Depicted Fungi: #9 Edgar's Elbow, bracket, black willow. #10 Edgar's Elbow, on black willow, sharp bracket. About 5cm across, #17 River Bluffs, hawthorne, bract, about 6 cm across.

Ganoderma applanatum (Artist's Conk) 

Artist's Conk was first recorded at Newport Forest in 2000.

Artists use these mushrooms for etched designs when fresh and for landscape and other painting when dried. They can be displayed differently than most paintings because the mushroom will stand on it's edge on a table or shelf. They become almost as hard as a block of wood and will last for many years.

Location and description for depicted fungi: missing for #25,30.  Photographed September 29, 2012

 

 

Oligoporus caesius = Tyromyces caesius (Blue Cheese Polypore) 

Blue bruising can be quite bright and distinctive. 

Location and description of depicted fungi:  Edgar's Trail/vernal ponds, white on wood, bruised blue, about 3cm across.  This species was first recorded at Newport Forest in 2003, Found September 29, 2012 #1.

 Polyporus badius (Blackfoot Polypore or Bay-brown Polypore) 

This distinctive polypore is typically a fall species, often found on decaying hardwood logs across the continent. Its stem is black, and its dark reddish brown cap is fairly large, measuring up to 20 cm. The smaller Polyporus varius has a paler cap, and is usually found on smaller hardwood branches and sticks.

First recorded at Newport Forest in 2005.

Location and description:  Blind Creek Forest, on wood, black stem, orange-beige, fan-shaped, sharpish edges, spongy, brown underneath, Collected September 29, 2012 #39

Polyporus squamosus (Dryad Saddle or Pheasant's Back Mushroom) 

Sherri photographing Dryad Saddle

According to Wikipedia (Kee also told the story behind the name Dryad Saddle on the walk):
"Dryad's saddle" refers to creatures in Greek mythology called Dryads who could conceivably fit and ride on this mushroom, whereas the pheasant's back analogy derives from the pattern of colors on the bracket matching that of a pheasant's back.

Dryad Saddle was one of the first species recorded at Newport Forest.

 

Location and description of depicted fungi: #7. ETVP, on wood, not collected.  #27. Beech forest, on wood, not collected.  Found Septebmer 29, 2012

Rhodotus palmatus

This mushroom is one of Bruce Parker's (fellow hike leader) favourites. 

It was first recorded at Newport Forest in 2000.

 According to mushroomexpert.com: 

"When it's being picturesque, Rhodotus palmatus is a stunning and unmistakable mushroom--or so they tell me. I wouldn't know, since I only find it looking as though it has a droopy, slimy hangover. In its oft-photographed state the cap features an elaborate network of ridges and veins--but Rhodotus palmatus can also be found (more commonly, if my experience is indicative) without these ridges, at which point identification is more challenging: look for the thick and rubbery cap, the dull orangish color, the pinkish spore print, and the habitat on well decayed, wet wood in stream beds from the Great Plains eastward."

Location and description:Beech forest, pulsey veins, netted (not collected), Collected September 29, 2012  #28

 

Trametes conchifer or Poronidulus conchifer

According to Mushroom Expert.com: Poronidulus conchifer (often called Trametes conchifer in field guides) starts out as a tiny, bowl-like thing that looks for all the world like a cup fungus or a bird's nest fungus without its eggs. Later, a polypore develops as an extension of the cup, often engulfing it with a pore surface or flesh. At maturity the cup can sometimes be detected as a swallowed-looking lump or disc at the base of the cap, or as a pore-covered lumpy structure that looks like a lateral stem. Bird's nest fungus expert H. J. Brodie was not really a "polypore man," but he obviously couldn't let it go when a polypore looked like a bird's nest fungus; publishing in Science (1951) he determined that the cup-like stage of Poronidulus conchiferserved as a splash-cup apparatus for the distribution of asexual spores. Thus the mushroom extended its reproductive period, and hedged its bets by cloning itself before engaging in sexual reproduction and producing sexual spores like a "normal" polypore.

Trametes pubescens

According to Mushroom Expert.com:

"Trametes pubescens is a small, thin polypore with a cream-colored, finely velvety cap surface that lacks strongly contrasting zones of color (most other turkey tail-like species of Trametes are decidedly zoned). Its pore surface becomes yellowish with age, and features 3-5 angular pores per mm. Trametes pubescens is a decomposer of the deadwood of hardwoods, widely distributed on our continent." 




New to Newport Forest  
Location and description of depicted fungi: Edgard's elbow, corderoy, bracket, thin, white, irregular pores, some elongated, breaks into teeth, radically wrinkled, collected September 29, 2012, #11

Trametes versicolor (Turkey Tail)

According to Wikipedia "Trametes versicolor — also known as Coriolus versicolor and Polyporus versicolor — is an extremely common polypore mushroom which can be found throughout the world."

Also "The turkey tail has bioremediation potential, according to mycologist Paul Stamets. T. versicolor biodegrades a variety of pollutants."

Additionally "Polysaccharide-K (PSK), is a protein-bound polysaccharide isolated from Trametes versicolor, which is used as an immune system boosting agent in the treatment of cancer in some European countries as well as China and Japan."

This species was first recorded at Newport Forest in 2000. 

Location and description of depicted fungi: ET/VP, on wood, round pores, Found  September 29, 2012 #6



Tyromyces chioneus (White Cheese Polypore) 


According to mushroomexpert.com:

"Tyromyces chioneus is the ho-hum pinnacle of the polypore world, if you ask me. Its boring white cap and pore surface, combined with its soggy texture and lack of interesting microscopic details, are definitely not counterbalanced by the only "interesting" thing about it: its slightly fragrant odor. Oh, sure, the world probably needs Tyromyces chioneus (it is a widespread and common decomposer of deadwood)--but that doesn't mean I have to get excited about it."

Tyromyces chioneus was first found at Newport Forest in 2000.

Location and Description of depicted fungi: Edgar's elbow, on black willow, sweet licorice/anise smell, bracket/polypore, about 20 cm across, Found September 29, 2012  #8