Piptoporus betulinus

This is a key to gilled mushrooms, that is, mushrooms having a definite cap with a fertile surface consisting of gills. The fruiting body usually also has a stem, although that may be lateral or absent (usually, then, the mushroom is growing from wood). You can use this key to identify mushrooms that you find.

Fertile surface usually a layer of vertical tubes, of which the mouths are visible as pores on the underside of the cap or shelf.
Fruiting bodies usually tougher or harder than the "normal" gilled mushrooms, being leathery, corky, or woody. But they can be quite tender while actively growing
Once grown, they do not decay easily, remaining on the substrate for months or years
They often grow on wood, although a few are terrestrial (even those are usually growing on buried wood)
Fruiting body is usually a flat shelf, or hoof-shaped, protruding directly from the substrate, although sometimes it may have a short stalk.
Some forms never grow away from the substrate at all, so that all that is visible of the fruiting body are the pores.
Sometimes the pores are so minute that the fertile surface seems solid, until you look closely

Growing on wood

Not fitting the other choices, not stipitate
In making choices below based on texture and size, place the emphasis on texture: if left alone, some of the smaller ones can eventually get quite big; and even the huge ones have to start out small at first

Fruiting body large (often over 6" across), perennial and hard; often hoof-shaped or convex, but may also be shelving
If the choice is between this and Medium Sessilopolypore, place fungi here if they have any of the following characters: perennial, hoof-shaped, hard

Piptoporus     Genus White (sometimes tan to greyish brown), suede-like cuticle that forms inrolled, curb-like sterile margin On dead or living birch trees

Links from Look-alikes Whiteoporus     Tribe Sessile cap entirely white to buff Pores concolorous or yellow or pale grey, sometimes darkening in age to grey or even black Sometimes with moss or algae growing on the cap (coloring it green)

Piptoporus betulinus     (Fries) Karsten

Here are the characters that distinguish this species from the others in its group. For its more general characters, see higher up on the page.
If there's just a few words or a microscopic feature here, a more thorough description can be found above.

Diagnosis

• Tubes white when fresh, browning, tearing and becoming somewhat toothlike or daedaleoid in age; 2-4 per mm; 2-10 mm long, easily separable from the cap
  
• 2-10" wide

 

 

Glossary

Mushrooms

People

Newsletter

Events