Species details
Powderpuff bracket
Postia ptychogaster
Inedible
Photo: Tatiana Strus · CC BY 4.0 · Photo source · License
Description
A white to pale-brown cushion-like fruitbody with a densely spiny surface; old specimens become dry, brittle and powdery.
Identification features
Fruitbody about 5–15 cm wide, white to cream at first, later ochre-brown. The upper surface is densely covered with soft spine-like projections; young flesh is soft and cheese-like.
Identification checklist
Check the cushion shape, densely soft spiny surface and cheese-like interior in young specimens.
Detailed features
- Flesh
- The upper surface is densely covered with soft spine-like projections; young flesh is soft and cheese-like.
Habitat
Grows on decaying wood and roots of conifers, mainly in autumn.
Fruiting period
September, October, November
Ecology
- Substrate
- Dead wood, Roots
- Notes
- Grows on decaying wood and roots of conifers, mainly in autumn.
How to separate similar species
Old powdery fruitbodies are harder to identify; similar white wood polypores may require microscopy.
Similar species
- Guttation polypore (Calcipostia guttulata)
- Postia species
- Tyromyces species