Dyer's Polypore

Description:

The fruiting bodies, appearing in late summer or fall, commonly incorporate blades of grass, twigs, or fallen pine needles as they grow. They are tannish with darker brown centres, with orange to pale margins on young specimens.

Habitat:

Pine forest trail

Notes:

Also called Velvet-top Fungus, Dyer's Polypore, Dyer's Mazegill, or Pine Dye Polypore. It's a fungal plant pathogen that causes butt rot on conifers such as Douglas-fir, spruce, fir, hemlock, pine, and larch. The generic name Phaeolus comes from the prefix Phae- meaning dusky or obscure, and olus which modifies the meaning to 'somewhat' - so fungi in this genus are described as 'somewhat dusky' or perhaps darkish.