Dryad's saddle

Description:

These are very mature specimens, way past their prime, as evidenced by the blackened appearance of the cap and the fungus' dehydrated state. This was a large clump, at about 10" in diameter. The mushroom's spores and dried secretions on the pores are visible in photos 4 and 5. Cerioporus squamosus is one of many fungi that causes butt rot on the host tree.

Habitat:

These mushrooms were found on a live tree with rot, perhaps 7 feet up, on a shaded riverbank.

Notes:

Dryad's saddle, also called pheasant's back mushroom, is edible only when it's young. When I first spotted this, I had no inkling as to its identity because it looked so different from most younger specimens.