Oak Bracket

Habitat

This parasitic fungus grows at the base of living broad-leaved trees, where it causes white rot. While it is occasional on other hardwoods, it is found almost exclusively on various species of oak. It typically grows as a solitary bracket or in fused, overlapping clusters.

Photos

Appearance

Bracket

Thick, corky, and irregularly shaped, ranging from 5 to 65 centimeters across; initially whitish-grey or yellowish before turning rusty brown to dark brown. The uneven upper surface is often warty and exudes amber or reddish liquid drops from the margin during active growth.

Pores

Small, circular to angular openings, measuring 3 to 5 per millimeter; color transitions from whitish-grey or yellow-brown to a deep rusty brown.

Tubes

Measured between 5 and 20 millimeters deep, colored dull rusty brown.

Flesh

Soft and fibrous texture, ranging in color from yellowish to a deep reddish or rusty brown.

Stem

Absent; the fruit body is attached directly and broadly to the host tree.

Spore print

White to yellowish.

Smell

Strong and unpleasant.

Edibility

This species has a mild but acidic taste and a strong, unpleasant smell. The flesh is described as fibrous, corky, or soft and is not considered edible.

Nutrient Source

It feeds on the heartwood of living trees, primarily oaks, and can also grow on deadwood, causing rot in the base of the trunk.

Common Names

Danish

Ege-spejlporesvamp

Dutch

eikeweerschijnzwam, Eikenweerschijnzwam, Eikeweerschijnzwam

English

Oak Bracket

French

Inpneute du chêne, Polypore larmoyant

German

Tropfender Schillerporling

Norwegian Bokmål

tårekjuke

Norwegian Nynorsk

tårekjuke

Swedish

tårticka

Welsh

Ysgwydd Derw

Synonyms

• Boletus dryadeus
• Boletus pseudoigniarius
• Fomes dryadeus
• Fomitiporia dryadea
• Inonotus dryadeus
• Ischnoderma dryadeum
• Phellinus dryadeus
• Placodes dryadeus
• Polyporus dryadeus
• Ungularia dryadea
• Xanthochrous dryadeus