Species details

Wrinkled crust

Phlebia rufa

Inedible
Wrinkled crust – Phlebia rufa

Photo: Svencapoeira · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Photo source · License

Description

A thin, closely attached, strongly wrinkled and veined fungus on dead wood that causes white rot.

Identification features

The fruitbody forms a thin irregular patch spreading radially across the substrate. The surface is strongly wrinkled, knobbly and veined, whitish, cream to pale ochre. The tissue is waxy to gelatinous and firmly attached.

Identification checklist

Look for a thin, resupinate fungus without cap or stem, with a strongly wrinkled, veined and waxy-gelatinous surface.

How to separate similar species

Related Phlebia species and other resupinate fungi can look similar. Colour, fold structure, substrate and, when needed, microscopy help distinguish them.

Habitat

Grows on dead wood, where individual fruitbodies may merge into larger patches.

Fruiting period

January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December

Similar species

Extended-description sources