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marshmallow polypore

marshmallow polypore (Spongipellis pachyodon)
Illinois Status: common, native
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

Habitats

Aquatic Habitats
bottomland forests

Woodland Habitats
bottomland forests; upland deciduous forests

Prairie and Edge Habitats
edge