Fungi
Shelf-like to hoof-like & usually on wood
Pored or somewhat maze-like on underside [bracket polypores]

Pored or somewhat maze-like on underside [bracket polypores]

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In most species of this sub-group, the underside of the fruitbody has pores. In most cases the pores are small (two or more per millimetre) and of uniform size and appearance. However, in some species the pores are larger or of irregular shapes and sizes or incomplete and so giving a maze-like appearance. Sometimes you may see a mix of pored and maze-like regions in the one fruitbody.

 

In the following hints you see examples of useful identification features and a few of the more commonly seen genera in which at least some species (not necessarily all) show those features.

 

Hints

Red, fleshy texture: Fistulina.

Orange, leathery to corky texture: Piptoporus, Pycnoporus, Rigidoporus.

Pinkish to pinkish-brown, texture of firm rubber: Rhodofomitopsis.

Corky texture; creamy to yellow- brown: Perenniporia.

Upper surface furry & orange-brown to red-brown, pores white: Postia.

Large, creamy to pale brown, on live trees: Laetiporus.

 

On the wood of native or introduced conifers: Gloeophyllum.

 

Pores large, several millimetres in diameter: Hexagonia.

Underside maze-like or a mixture of pores & irregular gills: Cerrena, Gloeophyllum.

 

Hard & woody, black upper surface, pores brown to bronze: Phellinus.

Hard & woody, brown upper surface, pores white & marking brown: Ganoderma.

Hard & woody, brown upper surface, pores white & not marking brown: Fomes.

 

Roughly semi-circular, leathery, concentrically banded upper surface; white pores: Trametes.

     Note: Trametes is a very common genus and is the one (with these features)

                 that you are most likely to see.  

 

 

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Pored or somewhat maze-like on underside [bracket polypores]

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Discussion

RoyP wrote:
15 Jan 2026
Royp
Thanks Heinol for your explanation - I was surprised to see such a big specimen and thrilled you took the time to inform me of the specie’s complexity.
Unverified Pored or somewhat maze-like on underside [bracket polypores]
Heinol wrote:
15 Jan 2026
Once upon a time this might have been a species of Coriolopsis. It had long been accepted that Coriolopsis had strong similarities with the genus Trametes, the major difference being that the former had brown hyphae (giving the fruitbodies an overall brownish tint) whereas the hyphae of Trametes were mostly colourless under a microscope (and so pale fruitbodies). I say mostly, because you could get coloured hairs on the upper surfaces of some Trametes (e.g. Trametes versicolor). However, slice a fruitbody in half vertically and you’d one was brown inside, the other white. Different colours implied different pigments which implied different internal chemistry and this was thought a good reason for having two genera. Then molecular analysis came along and showed that pigment differences weren’t that significant, so the two genera were considered identical - and Trametes had priority. Trametes than had many species, some people wondered if they all really belonged together and further analyses made some people think that the genus should be split up. One of those splits involved some of the species that had once been in Coriolopsis moving into the genus Funalia. At the start of all this I said ‘might’ because, given the colours, it also possible that this fungus could be a Phellinus or one of its relatives (again a case of a large genus being split). One of those cases where photos alone don’t give me enough information to be sure of genus.
Unverified Pored or somewhat maze-like on underside [bracket polypores]
Hejor1 wrote:
19 Dec 2025
@Heinol this was the most intact one, I was tempted to suggest trametes but not confident enough to do so.
zz Polypore (shelf/hoof-like)
Heinol wrote:
19 Dec 2025
Possibly a weathered Trametes.
zz Polypore (shelf/hoof-like)
Heinol wrote:
31 Oct 2025
Possibly a Coltriciella.
zz Polypore (shelf/hoof-like)

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