Polyporus arcularius

[ Basidiomycetes > Polyporales > Polyporaceae > Polyporus . . . ]

by Michael Kuo

This polypore is found in the spring, and is often encountered by morel hunters and turkey hunters. It is fairly small, and has a central stem--unlike the other oft-encountered spring polypore, Polyporus squamosus.

Polyporus arcularius is recognized by its brown cap color, its whitish pore surface, and its finely hairy ("ciliate") cap margin (see top illustration). I would not be surprised to find that it is edible, but I would be surprised to find anyone who wanted to try eating it; its flesh is extremely tough and woody.

Description:

Ecology: Saprobic on the dead wood of hardwoods; causing a uniform white rot; reported on outdoor household conifer decking; growing alone or in small groups; occasionally arising from buried wood and appearing terrestrial; spring (reported in summer west of the Rocky Mountains); widely distributed.

Cap: 1-8 cm; convex to shallowly vase-shaped; dry; smooth or somewhat scaly; brown to golden brown, the colors frequently breaking up into rough concentric zones; the margin with tiny hairs (see top illustration).

Pore Surface: White, sometimes running down the stem; pores .5-2 per mm, hexagonal or angular.

Stem: Central or slightly off-center; 2-6 cm long; 1.5-4 mm wide; equal; dry; brown to yellowish brown; smooth or slightly scaly; the base sometimes with tiny hairs; tough.

Flesh: White; thin; tough.

Spore Print: White.

Microscopic Features: Spores 7-11 x 2-3 µ; smooth; cylindrical.

REFERENCES: (Batsch, 1783) Fries, 1821. (Overholts, 1953; Smith, Smith & Weber, 1981; Arora, 1986; Gilbertson & Ryvarden, 1987; Lincoff, 1992; Evenson, 1997; Barron, 1999; Roody, 2003.) Herb. Kuo 04229503, 04200304.

Further Online Information:

Polyporus arcularius at Fungi of Poland

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Cite this page as:

Kuo, M. (2004, November). Polyporus arcularius. Retrieved from the MushroomExpert.Com Web site: http://www.mushroomexpert.com/polyporus_arcularius.html