''Stereum fasciatum'' is a basidiomycete

crust fungus The corticioid fungi are a group of fungi in the Basidiomycota typically having effused, smooth basidiocarps (fruit bodies) that are formed on the undersides of dead tree trunks or branches. They are sometimes colloquially called crust fungi or pa ...

, which means it does not have the traditional mushroom gills nor

stem Stem or STEM may refer to: Plant structures * Plant stem, a plant's aboveground axis, made of vascular tissue, off which leaves and flowers hang * Stipe (botany), a stalk to support some other structure * Stipe (mycology), the stem of a mushro ...

, but rather grows flat or with shelf-like protrusions on wood. The

spore In biology, a spore is a unit of sexual or asexual reproduction that may be adapted for dispersal and for survival, often for extended periods of time, in unfavourable conditions. Spores form part of the life cycles of many plants, algae, f ...

s are produced on basidia, just like the gilled mushrooms, but instead of gills, the hymenophore (spore bearing surface) directly houses the reproductive parts. In North America ''S. fasciatum'' was long thought to be '' S. ostrea'', but the recent accessibility to

DNA sequencing DNA sequencing is the process of determining the nucleic acid sequence – the order of nucleotides in DNA. It includes any method or technology that is used to determine the order of the four bases: adenine, guanine, cytosine, and thymine. Th ...

has revealed that the two are distinct, and that ''S. ostrea'' is native to Indonesia and is not found in North America.

Description

''Stereum fasciatum'' grows in a fan-like shape with a broad base, and an upper surface that is covered in tufts of upright hairs. The overall shape, like most '' Stereum'' species, is fan or oyster-like, spreading outwards from the attachment to the wooden

substrate Substrate may refer to: Physical layers *Substrate (biology), the natural environment in which an organism lives, or the surface or medium on which an organism grows or is attached ** Substrate (locomotion), the surface over which an organism lo ...

. Unlike some similar species, when the fertile surface is bruised, it does not stain yellow.

Similar species

The typical ''Stereum'' pore-less undersurface, will separate it from similar looking polypores such as turkey tails (''Trametes''), and thin fruiting bodies growing shelf like will separate it from most other crusts. The distinguishing features of ''Stereum fasciatum'' is the combination of the non-yellowing undersurface, broad base attachment, and the upright hairs. To see the upright hairs, a hand lens may be needed. A common way to examine the hairs is to fold a specimen in half, with the undersurface touching and splitting the hairy upper surface, and then examining the split section hairs to see if they stand up straight or are felted. ''Stereum subtomentosum'' is a similar species, also having upright hairs and a broader attachment, but it stains yellow, which ''S. fasciatum'' does not. '' Stereum lobatum'' is another yellowing species, but it also usually has a narrower attachment to the substrate and felted hairs instead of upright (use a hand lens). ''

Stereum complicatum ''Stereum'' is the type genus of the Stereaceae family of fungi, in the Russulales order. Until recently, the genus was classified in the Corticiaceae family, of the Corticiales order. However, it was given its own family as a result of the spli ...

'' is usually smaller, and is brighter and more consistent orange. '' Stereum hirsutum'' can look quite similar, but is more orange and smaller.

Taxonomy

It was first described in 1822 by

Schweinitz Schweinitz is a village and a former municipality in the Jerichower Land district, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous coun ...

as ''Thelephora fasciata,'' but in 1838 was transferred by Elias Fries to the genus, '' Stereum'', giving the name ''Stereum fasciatum''.

External links

''Stereum fasciatum'' images & occurrence data
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References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q49602347 Stereaceae Fungus species Fungi described in 1822 Fungi of North America Taxa named by Lewis David de Schweinitz