maze-gill fungus

Description:

Scientific name: Daedalea quercina Fr. Derivation of name: Daedalea is derived from Daidalos, builder of the labyrinth of the Minotaur in Crete, in reference to the labyrinthiform pores of this fungus; quercina refers to the oak (Quercus) genus. Synonymy: Common names: Thick-maze oak polypore. Phylum: Basidiomycota Order: Polyporales Family: Fomitopsidaceae Occurrence on wood substrate: Saprobic; solitary to several on decaying deciduous wood, particularly oak (Quercus); year-round. Dimensions: Caps 5-20 cm wide; up to 8 cm thick. Upper surface: Grayish to brownish-yellow to brownish- orange to brown to black; mostly smooth; not typically zonate. Pore surface: White to brownish; conspicuously mazelike, with lamellate portions; pore walls thick (about 1 mm or more); pore openings 1-4 mm wide. Edibility: Inedible. Comments: Compare to Daedaleopsis confragosa which superficially resembles it ( http://www.messiah.edu/Oakes/fungi_on_wo... )

Habitat:

location: North America, Europe edibility: Inedible fungus colour: White to cream, Grey to beige normal size: over 15cm cap type: Other stem type: Lateral, rudimentary or absent flesh: Flesh granular or brittle spore colour: Light to dark brown habitat: Grows in woods, Grows on wood Daedalea quercina L. ex Fr. syn. Trametes quercina (L. ex Fr.) Pilát Eichenwirrling Dédalée, Tramète, Lenzite du chêne, Oak Mazegill Bracket 4–20cm across, 3–8cm wide, 1.5–5cm thick, hard and corky, singly or occasionally in shelved groups; upper surface uneven, creamy or ochraceous tinged with grey, drying pallid or umber. Flesh pale wood-coloured. Smell faintly acrid or fungusy. Tubes 10–30mm long, ochraceous-cream coloured. Pores large, irregular and maze-like, often elongate resembling gills. Spores ellipsoid, 6–7.5 x 3–3.5µ. Hyphal structure trimitic. Habitat on dead deciduous wood, virtually restricted to oak in this country. Season from spring onwards. Common. Not edible. Distribution, America and Europe ( http://www.rogersmushrooms.com/gallery/D... )

Notes:

Daedalea quercina, as its species name suggests, is partial to oaks. It is a distinctive polypore with a thickly maze-like pore surface (as its genus name suggests; Daedalus designed the maze that hid the Minotaur) and a whitish to grayish or brownish cap surface. The tough flesh is whitish to pale brownish--but never rusty brown or dark brown. Species of Gloeophyllum can look somewhat similar, but feature brown to rusty brown flesh and gill-like undersurfaces. Daedaleopsis confragosa is similar, but its maze-like pore surface is less regular, has thin walls, and usually bruises reddish. Lenzites betulina has a gill-like undersurface. Description: Ecology: Saprobic; growing alone or in small groups with fused caps on decaying oak wood (occasionally on the wood of other hardwoods); annual or perennial; causing a brown rot of the heartwood; widely distributed in North America, but rare west of the Mississippi. Cap: 4-20 cm; broadly convex to more or less flat; fan-shaped in outline; dry; smooth or finely fuzzy (generally smoother toward the margin); whitish when fresh, but grayish, brown, or black in age (often darker toward the point of attachment in specimens that are several years old). Undersurface: Maze-like, with thick walls (about 1-3 mm wide); occasionally developing pore-like or gill-like areas; whitish when fresh, becoming dingy yellowish or pale tan; not bruising; tubes to 4 cm deep. Stem: Absent. Flesh: Whitish, or with age brownish; very tough. Spore Print: White. Chemical Reactions: All parts dark gray to black with KOH. Microscopic Features: Spores: 5-6 x 2-3.5 µ; smooth; cylindrical to elliptical. ( http://www.mushroomexpert.com/daedalea_q... ) -----( http://www.mycobank.org/MycoTaxo.aspx?Li... )