''Stereum lobatum'' 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. lobatum'' 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 lobatum'' grows in a fan-like shape with a narrowed base, and an upper surface that becomes