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White punk

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 about 70cm 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. A beautiful specimen not yet touched by grubs.

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:

I believe these lose their 'skin' becoming a large lump of cream coloured marshmallow with an internal confusion of large pores. Pieces may then fall to the ground and bounce or roll some distance - see here http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/113...
I have decided with martinl's help that this is probably the 'White punk" Laetiporus portentosus
http://www2b.abc.net.au/science/scribbly...

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6 Comments

Mark Ridgway
Mark Ridgway 5 years ago

Hi Chael..
I'm honoured that you want to use these pics. You are welcome to do so but I'm not sure if the resolution will suit. I don't have the originals any more. If you click on the picture above, then right-click on the first large image and choose open in a new tab, you will get the largest possible version. PN trims everything down to 1200 by something pixels and the density might be 96 for screens rather than 300 plus? for print. Sorry if it's not enough.

Chael
Chael 5 years ago

Mark I was wondering if you'd be willing to let me use your L. Portentosus photos on a book I'm working on. You will have your name credited in the photos if so. I'm working on an international polypore guide. My email is chowmetal@hotmail.com.

Mark Ridgway
Mark Ridgway 11 years ago

Ok now I'm happy to go with Laetiporus Portentosus as the ID. A reference that martinl gave on another spotting states that 'white punk' can be up to 450mm across. It's the same reference for the chewed out one seen at http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/113...
These were found within 300 metres of each other. Thanks again martinl. 2 for 1.

MartinL
MartinL 11 years ago

This is an impressive spotting. I cannot unravel your ID =( P. australiensis seems to always look different (orange)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/37632702@N0...
I could find no image of birch polypore growing on Eucalyptus.
http://centurysupplements.com/birch-poly...

Mark Ridgway
Mark Ridgway 11 years ago

Thanks CorduneanuVlad... that's why I called it punk. We have 2 'punks' here which are Piptoporus but can't find exact match yet. It would be easier if this was not so large. Only our Curry punk (P. australiensis) is this big.

CorduneanuVlad
CorduneanuVlad 11 years ago

Looks similar to the birch polypore of Europe. Probably this belongs to the same group - Piptoporus.

Mark Ridgway
Spotted by
Mark Ridgway

Ringwood East, Victoria, Australia

Spotted on Jun 3, 2012
Submitted on Jun 8, 2012

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