Bracket fungus
Bracket fungi, or shelf fungi, are among the many groups of fungi in the phylum Basidiomycota.[1]
They produce shelf- or bracket-shaped fruiting bodies called conks. These lie in a close group of horizontal rows. Brackets can range from only a single row of a few caps, to dozens of rows of caps that can weigh several hundred pounds. They are mainly found on trees (living and dead) and woody debris. Some form annual fruiting bodies while others are perennial and grow larger year after year. Bracket fungi are usually tough and sturdy. Their spores, called basidiospores, are in pores on the undersurface.
Bracket Fungus Media
Polypores (Ganoderma sp.) growing on a tree in Borneo
The blushing bracket showing the red bruising, which is one identification characteristic Bracket fungus on tree in Tokyo, Japan
Trametes versicolor growing on a rotting log
Perennial conk of Fomitopsis pinicola on spruce
References
- ↑ Phillips, Roger 2006. Mushrooms. London: Macmillan. ISBN 0-330-44237-6