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marshmallow polypore
marshmallow polypore (Spongipellis pachyodon)
Photo © Hank Guarisco
Features and Behaviors
FEATURES
The fruiting body is variable in form, sometimes just appearing as a pore surface. Sometimes the caps are well-defined and at other times they are not. The fruiting body is about two inches wide and two inches deep and white to pale yellow. The pores are often eroded from the flesh and have a toothlike appearance. The spore print is believed to be white.
BEHAVIORS
The fruiting bodies grow in stacks or clusters on the trunks of oaks and other hardwoods. They appear in summer and fall. This is a parasitic species that feeds on living tree tissues. It causes a white heart rot.
Illinois Range
Taxonomy
Kingdom: Fungi
Phylum: Basidiomycota
Class: Basidiomycetes
Order: Polyporales
Family: Cerrenaceae
Illinois Status: common, native
