Laetiporus Portentosus

Description:

Huge! From over 200 metres away this looked like big loaves of bread stacked next to a gum tree. I always thought these types of large thick bracket fungi must take many months to grow building layers but this one has obviously grown to a good size in one shot. The group was approx. 480mm across. The tops were pale pink-brown, dry and velvety to touch. The underneath was a pale cream-yellow and was made up of closely packed tubes (forming pores?) which also had a dry velvety feel.

Habitat:

On the base of a healthy looking messmate-stringybark on an original-growth? wide, highway median strip with only native plants as far as I could tell.

Notes:

In Australia there are similar fungi with common name of punk. One is 'white punk' but this one is way too big. There is also a 'curry punk' but this is not yellow nor did it smell of curry. Both these punks have pores. Are there other punks as yet unknown? I have decided with martinl's help that this is probably the 'White punk" Laetiporus Portentosus http://www2b.abc.net.au/science/scribbly... A beautiful specimen not yet touched by grubs.