Species details
Benzoin bracket
Ischnoderma benzoinum
Inedible
Photo: dschigel · CC BY 4.0 · Photo source · License
Description
A large velvety brownish bracket on conifer wood with a white growing margin; soft when young and corky-hard when old.
Identification features
Cap 8–22 cm or larger, orange-brown to dark brown, velvety and often concentrically zoned. The pore surface is white at first, later ochre to brownish.
Identification checklist
Check conifer wood, a velvety dark-brown cap, pale growing margin and initially white pore surface.
How to separate similar species
Ischnoderma resinosum is more associated with hardwood. Old darkened fruitbodies are harder to identify.
Habitat
Grows on dead conifer wood, especially spruce and fir, on stumps, roots and logs; most conspicuous in late summer and autumn.
Fruiting period
August, September, October
Similar species
- Ischnoderma resinosum
- Red-belted conk (Fomitopsis pinicola)
- Dyer's polypore (Phaeolus schweinitzii)