Habitat
This mushroom grows on the ground in broad-leaved woodlands, appearing as large clusters. It arises from an underground sclerotium (a storage organ) and is associated with the roots of deciduous trees, particularly oak.
Photos
Appearance
- Fruit body
- Large, cauliflower-like masses reaching up to 50cm in width, consisting of a thick, fleshy base that branches repeatedly into numerous small individual caps.
- Cap
- Small, umbrella-shaped to circular, 1-5cm across, often depressed in the center with a thin, wavy, or irregular margin; surface is finely fibrous or scaly, colored grey-brown, ochraceous, or occasionally yellowish to pinkish.
- Stem
- Thin individual stalks that merge into a common, thick, trunk-like base; the base is white to pale brown and arises from a buried, tuber-like sclerotium.
- Flesh
- White, thin, and soft or fragile; taste is generally pleasant or mild but can have a bitter or acrid aftertaste.
- Tubes
- Short, 1-2mm long, and running down the stem.
- Pores
- Angular, white to cream or straw-yellow, with about 1-3 pores per millimeter.
- Spore print
- White.
Sporecast is better in the app
Plan ahead with 10-day forecasts, see what people are finding nearby, get photo IDs, and track your finds.
Edibility
This mushroom has white, soft flesh with a pleasant smell and a flavor that ranges from mild to delicious, though it may leave a bitter or acrid aftertaste. There are no known poisonous lookalikes for this species. It is a rare find in many regions and should be gathered with its scarcity in mind.
Misidentification can be fatal. Never eat a mushroom unless you're 100% sure. This information may be inaccurate. Always consult multiple sources.
Nutrient Source
otherIt is a saprobe that causes white rot of wood. It can also form a symbiotic relationship with Armillaria species, which supply it with nutrients.
Common Names
- Danish
- Skærmformet stilkporesvamp
- Dutch
- Schermpjeseikhaas
- English
- Umbrella Polypore
- Finnish
- viuhkokääpä
- French
- Polypore en ombelle
- Norwegian Bokmål
- skjermkjuke
- Norwegian Nynorsk
- skjermkjuke
- Spanish
- poliporo umbelado, políporo en umbela
- Swedish
- grenticka
- Ukrainian
- Трутовик зонтичний
- Welsh
- Cyfrwy Wmbelog
Synonyms
- Boletus polycephalus
- Boletus polycephalus
- Boletus ramosissimus
- Boletus ramosus
- Boletus umbellatus
- Cerioporus umbellatus
- Cladodendron umbellatum
- Cladomeris umbellata
- Dendropolyporus umbellatus — Umbrella Polypore
- Fungus ramosissimus
- Grifola ramosissima
- Grifola umbellata
- Grifola umbellata
- Merisma umbellatum
- Pocillaria umbellata
- Polypilus ramosissimus
- Polypilus umbellatus
- Polyporus chuling
- Polyporus ramosissimus
- Sclerotium giganteum