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coral pink wood crust

coral pink wood crust (Phlebia incarnata)
Photo © Hank Guarisco

Features and Behaviors

FEATURES
Fresh caps of this species are coral pink and grow overlapping each other. They are white or pink on the underside. Aged caps may appear to show pores on the lower side, but they are not true pores. The cap at maturity may be from six-tenths to two and three-fourths inches wide. Its edges are wavy, usually white. The general shape of the cap is semicircular with several indentations on the edge. There is no stem. The spore print is white.

BEHAVIORS
This mushroom grows in hardwood logs and stumps, especially those of beech, birch, maple and white oak. It receives nutrients from dead or decomposing wood. The fruiting bodies appear in late spring, summer and fall. This species causes a white rot.

Illinois Range

Taxonomy

​Kingdom: Fungi
Phylum: Basidiomycota
Class: Basidiomycetes
Order: Polyporales
Family: Meruliaceae

Illinois Status: common, native