Velvet-top Fungus

Description:

Velvet-like fungus, orangish in color. Approximately 5 inches in diameter. It is a fungal plant (polypore) pathogen that causes butt rot on conifers such as Douglas-fir, spruce, fir, hemlock, pine, and larch.

Habitat:

Growing in a flower bed underneath pines in east-central Georgia.

Notes:

The fruiting bodies, appearing in late summer or fall, commonly incorporate blades of grass, twigs, or fallen pine needles as they grow. As these fruiting bodies age, the pore surface turns from yellow to greenish yellow, the top becomes darker, and the flesh becomes harder and more wood-like