Stone Fungus
(Mushroom Stone)
Description
Less than 1cm: Use magnifying glass.
Fruit-body annual, (flattened) funnel-shaped with central stem. Cap Ø 3-10 cm, 10-15 mm thick. Upper surface with more or less concentric, adpressed, pointed, dark yellow-brown scales, hairy at the tips, yellow-brown to orange-brown with a cream to ochre background, with undulate, acute, fringed margin.
Tubes 1-4 mm long, strongly decurrent, whitish cream. Pores 0.5-2 per mm, circular to elongate, dentate, cream to yellowish.
Stem 1-6 cm x 5-15 mm, pale yellow, with white, downy base. The stem can root through the substrate and end in a deeply buried bulb-shaped sclerotium. Flesh soft, elastic, white. Smell fungus-like.
Spore-print colour white.
Occurrence
Not uncommon on branches, trunks and stumps of various deciduous trees (Maple, Willow, Alder, Beech) on rich (clayey) soil. Spring to summer.
Saprophyte.
Related and/or similar species
- Polyporus squamosus