Phellinus sp. (non-resupinate) (A polypore)

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The species of Phellinus are polypores. The fruit bodies grow on dead wood or on live plants and there are two broad types of fruit body.

Non-resupinate: The fruit body is attached to the wood by an edge and grows out horizontally so as to have distinct and well-differentiated upper and lower surfaces, both visible to the eye. Depending on species, the fruit body may be very chunky and of a shape much like a horse's hoof or thinner and somewhat shelf-like, albeit tapering to the outer edge. Viewed from above, such a fruit body has a roughly semi-circular outline. The lower surface is densely packed with small pores. This type of fruit body may be found on dead wood lying on the ground, on stumps or on trunks of live plants.

Resupinate: The fruit body hugs the wood, so that there is only one surface (densely packed with pores) is visible to the eye. In this case the fruit body is like a thick skin on the wood and this type of fruit body is most commonly found on the underside of dead wood lying on the ground, but may also be found on the undersides of horizontal or leaning branches of live plants. They are placed in the 'Flat with smooth or rough surface' group on Canberra Nature Map.

In each case the pore surface is some shade of brown, with much variation in the genus (e.g. pale grey-brown, yellow-brown, rusty brown, dark brown). In some species the pores are easy to see with the naked eye but in others you are may need a hand lens to see them. Where there is a well-differentiated upper surface, it may be some shade of brown (generally not one of the paler shades) or black. The upper surface often has concentric banding, may be smooth or bristly and in those species with black upper surfaces it is common to see much cracking of that surface. Fruit body consistency varies from leathery to very solid (the latter being the case for the large, chunky fruit bodies).

Spore print colour ranges from white to yellow-brown to rusty, depending on species.

Recognition of the genus is usually easy but identification to species often requires examination of the fruit body.

Phellinus sp. (non-resupinate) is listed in the following regions:

Canberra & Southern Tablelands