STEREUM HIRSUTUM (Willd.) Pers.

Description:

No matter how many of these attractve bracket fungi you see, there will always be another Stereum hirsutum with significantly different coloration. The variability of this fungus makes its identification at first rather difficult. Hirsute, the basis of the specific epithet, means hairy, and the upper surfaces of these irregularly-shaped tiered brackets are distinctly hairy when the fruitbodies are young and fresh; however, they do become smoother with age. Individual brackets are 2 to 8cm across and have irregularly wavy edges. The colours, which are zoned and generally paler towards the margin, darken with age and vary considerably with location, but yellow, orange and brown are most common. There is no stem. Spore-bearing surface : The lower spore-bearing surface is smooth, without pores, and rather paler than the upper surface; it is less distinctly zoned. The flesh is 0.5 to 1mm thick.

Habitat:

On dead hardwood trees and fallen branches; occasionally on conifers.

Notes:

No noticeable odour; tough, tasteless and inedible . Similar species : Stereum subtomentosum has an upper surface that is zoned in various shades of greyish-orange or greyish white. There is no stem, but the attachment region is usually much narrower than that of Stereum hirsutum.