''Phellinus igniarius'' (syn. ''Phellinus trivialis'') is a fungus of the family '' Hymenochaetaceae''. Like other members of the genus of

Phellinus ''Phellinus'' is a genus of fungi in the family Hymenochaetaceae. Many species cause white rot. Fruit bodies, which are found growing on wood, are resupinate, sessile, and perennial. The flesh is tough and woody or cork-like, and brown in color. ...

it lives by saprotrophic nutrition, in which the

lignin Lignin is a class of complex organic polymers that form key structural materials in the support tissues of most plants. Lignins are particularly important in the formation of cell walls, especially in wood and bark, because they lend rigidity ...

and cellulose of a host tree is degraded and is a cause of white rot. Common names are willow bracket and fire sponge The fungus forms perennial fruiting bodies that rise as woody-hard, hoof or disc-shaped brackets from the bark of the infested living tree or dead log. The tree species is often willow but it may be commonly found on birch and alder and other

broad leafed trees A broad-leaved, broad-leaf, or broadleaf tree is any tree within the diverse botanical group of angiosperms that has flat leaves and produces seeds inside of fruits. It is one of two general types of trees, the other being a conifer, a tree with ne ...

. The top is covered with a dark, often cracked crust, a stem is present only in its infancy. Unlike most fungi it has a hard woody consistency and may persist for many years, building a new surface layer each year. It was prized as kindling material. In Alaska, it is burnt by locals, and the ash (punk ash) is mixed with chewing tobacco to enhance the effect of the nicotine in the tobacco.

Description and ecology

The species is a polypore, with pores on the underside that bear basidiospores. The species causes a white rot that leads to the tree to decay. Woodpeckers are known to favour its site as a good place to excavate a nesting chamber since the wood will be soft and weaker around its location. The bracket measures, 5–20 cm in diameter, but in rare cases may be 40 cm wide. The thickness of the bracket varies from 2–12 cm, to 20 cm in exceptional cases. These conks are among the longest persisting fungal fruit bodies, displaying up to eighty annual growth rings. The fungus has small, grayish brown pores whose density is 4–6 per square mm. Its tubes have a length of about 2–7 mm. Each year, the fungus forms a new layer of tubes superimposed on the old layers. Unreleased old spores often find themselves sealed in by later growth that clog the tubes and they appear in cross section as brown spots. The flesh becomes harder with age and dryness, with humidity it softens. The smell of the fruit body has a pronounced mushroom character, the flavor of the meat is bitter. Upon contact with potassium hydroxide, the flesh is dyed black. The spores of the ''P. igniarius'' form a whitish cast.David Arora: ''Mushrooms demystified: a comprehensive guide to the fleshy fungi.'' Ten Speed Press, 1986. , S. 581.Michael Jordan: ''The encyclopedia of fungi of Britain and Europe.'' frances lincoln ltd, 2004. , S. 114. It is considered to be inedible.

Gallery

Tune u Hájské in winter 2010 (25) cropped.JPG, ''Phellinus igniarius'' seen in winter in Strakonice District, Czech Republic Pilze d. Heimat, T. 24 - Polyporus igniarius.jpg, Illustrated in Schmeil's scientific atlas Feuerschwamm Poren (1).jpg, The pores on the lower surface, magnified Coloured Figures of English Fungi or Mushrooms - t. 132.jpg, Illustrated in James Sowerby's Coloured Figures of English Fungi or Mushrooms, (published 1797–1809)

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1356296 Nut tree diseases Stone fruit tree diseases Fungal tree pathogens and diseases Fungi of Europe Fungi of North America Fungi described in 1753 Inedible fungi igniarius Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus