Bracket fungus

Trametes versicolor, a colorful bracket fungus on a South Carolina stump

A bracket fungus (Pycnoporus sp.) with a tough, woody cap

Bracket fungi, or shelf fungi, are among the many groups of fungi in the phylum Basidiomycota.

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

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  Polypores (Ganoderma sp.) growing on a tree in Borneo

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  The blushing bracket showing the red bruising, which is one identification characteristic
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  Laetiporus sulphureus

• Bracket fungus on tree in Tokyo, Japan

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  Schematic drawing of a pileate polypore fruit body

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  Trametes versicolor growing on a rotting log

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  Polyporus sp. fruit bodies with stalk (Indonesia)

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  Perennial conk of Fomitopsis pinicola on spruce

References

Yellow bracket fungus