Polyporus arcularius

Description:

Young specimen. This is a fairly small polyporus, which has a central stem--unlike other similar polypores like Polyporus squamosus. Polyporus arcularius is recognized by its brown cap colour, its whitish pore surface, and its finely hairy cap margin. Saprobic on the dead wood of hardwoods. It causes a uniform white rot. Reported on outdoor household conifer decking; growing alone or in small groups; occasionally arising from buried wood and appearing terrestrial. Cap: 1-8 cm; convex to shallowly vase-shaped; dry; smooth or somewhat scaly; brown to golden brown, the colors frequently breaking up into rough concentric zones; the margin with tiny hairs. The pore surface is white, sometimes running down the stem. The pores are 5-2 per mm, hexagonal or angular. The stem is tough and central or slightly off-center; 2-6 cm long and 1.5-4 mm wide. When dry is brown to yellowish brown coloured, it is smooth or slightly scaly and the base sometimes presents tiny hairs. The flesh is white; thin; tough. The spore print is white.