Inonotus s.l. (A polypore )

Species of Inonotus are polypores in which the fruiting bodies are found on wood, either dead wood or on living plants. The fruiting bodies are often bracket-like outgrowths (with smooth to hirsute upper surfaces), but may also be  no more than a layer of pores on the underside of wood (and are then easily missed). The fruiting bodies may be yellowish-brown to a dark brown. In the bracket-like fruiting bodies the pore surface is often markedly lighter than the upper surface, indeed white or close to white at times.

In at least some species the area at the mouth of a pore is white but the tissue further in is brownish so, as  you hold the pore surface at different angles to your eye, you see a variation in colour from whitish (when you are looking at a shallow angle so that your view is dominated by the pore mouths) to some shade of brown (when you are looking straight on at the pore surface so that your view also takes in some of the tissue further in each pore).   

In contrast to many polypores, Inonotus fruiting bodies have a fibrous to softish consistency.

While it may be possible to make an educated guess of Inonotus in the field, a definite identification of the genus often requires a look for some microscopic features. So while it will be possible to say that a photo shows something with an Inonotus look, it may not be possible to say that definitely is an Inonotus. Hence I use Inonotus s.l., which means " Inonotus in the broad, old sense" and s.l. is a standard abbreviation in botanical works for the Latin phrase sensu lato (meaning 'in the broad sense'). There are some species, formerly included in Inonotus which have been renamed and at least one of those (Pseudoinonotus chondromyelus) occurs in our area.

Regional distribution

Inonotus s.l. is listed in the following regions: