Hapalopilus nidulans is small, drab, polypore that most people overlook. However, this humble mushroom is remarkable for two reasons: it is poisonous and it produces a lovely purple dye. It is an uncommon mushroom, which reduces the likelihood of someone eating it but also means people working with mushroom dyes never have enough of it. This mushroom appears on decomposing wood in North America and Europe.
From above, Lenzites betulina looks a lot like the Turkey Tail (Trametes versicolor, FFF#065). When you flip the mushroom over, however, it looks completely different. L. betulina has a distinctly gilled spore surface, which easily separates it from nearly every other polypore. A few others do have gills, but L. betulina is the only one with pale gills and pale flesh. This mushroom is usually referred to by its scientific name, but it is sometimes called “the Multicolored Gill Polypore” or “the Birch Mazegill.”
Fistulina hepatica is a very unusual polypore that is easy to recognize: it looks (and somewhat feels) like a large tongue growing from the side of a tree. This edible mushroom is distinctive because of its bizarre pore surface. When young, the pores are little more than multicolored bumps. As the mushroom matures, the pores develop into individual tubes, like a collection of straws. Its unique, meat-like color and texture earned F. hepatica the common names “Beefsteak Fungus” and “Ox Tongue Fungus.”
This otherwise boring polypore has an incredibly strong anise-like odor. Native Americans of the Northern Plains considered this mushroom to have healing and spiritual properties. Haploporus odorus can be found growing on hardwood trees in northern boreal forests. In North America, it prefers the Diamond Willow tree, which gives it the common name “Diamond Willow Fungus.” Another English common name is the “Aniseed Polypore,” which refers to its unique aroma.
Chaga (produced by the fungus Inonotus obliquus) is considered by many to be the most potent medicinal mushroom. Its popularity is on the rise and a quick internet search returns mostly websites offering to sell Chaga or sites touting its medicinal benefits. Chaga purportedly has cancer-fighting properties, stimulates the immune system, reduces inflammation, and prevents aging. The part of the fungus that people use is not quite a mushroom. Instead, it is a sterile conk that looks like a large block of charcoal stuck to a birch tree. This structure can be chopped off the tree, ground up, and steeped in hot water to make a tea. Chaga tea is the usual way to take advantage of the fungus’s medicinal properties.
Phellinus igniarius is probably the most dangerous regularly-consumed mushroom. By itself, the mushroom is pretty much useless. However, many Native American groups discovered that the ashes of igniarius will increase the buzz of chewing tobacco. Today, this practice is particularly widespread among Native Alaskans. Despite attempts by health agencies to discourage this practice, usage rates are still above 50%.
In its mature stage, this mushroom can be nearly impossible to differentiate from numerous other Turkey Tail-like polypores. Fortunately, young Poronidulus conchifer mushrooms produce unmistakable cup-like structures. This structure often looks like a cup fungus or a bird’s nest fungus without the eggs. For that reason, this mushroom is often called the “Little Nest Polypore.”
This edible mushroom has a few common names, including: “Hen of the Woods,” “Sheepshead,” and “” It is parasitic on hardwood tree roots, so look for this mushroom around the bases of hardwoods (especially oaks and maples) in the fall.
This mushroom is a gateway mushroom to foraging. There is no mistaking the large, bright, yellow-orange fruiting bodies of the Chicken of the Woods. It is also a good edible that has the look, texture, and taste of chicken when cooked (which resulted in one of its common names).
Note: This is an archived post. You can find the current version here. This beautiful, large polypore is a common sight in woods during the spring. You can find it fruiting prominently from the bases of dead trees.
![#011: Characteristics of Kingdom Fungi [Archived]](https://www.fungusfactfriday.com/wp-content/themes/hueman/assets/front/img/thumb-small-empty.png)
