I found this shelf mushroom on a dead log. Some were flat and others were stacked-like on top of each other. They were tan with concentric rings and a brown velvety spot on the top. They were large 5cm-12cm. My guess was an Inonotus species, but just not sure. Any help in identifying this would be greatly appreciated.
The log was deteriorated, but it had fairly smooth bark. There are lots of beech trees and conifers in the area. I forgot the cardinal rule...noting the substrate! At first I thought it was a Phaeolus schweinitzii, but the color seems all wrong and it keyed out to Inonotus tomentous in Mushrooms Demystified by David Arora. I do think it over-wintered rather then being a fresh fungus. It didn't stain when handled and it is rather corky.
It is rather odd isn't it? I know that we usually associate Laetiporus sulphureus with the bright yellows and oranges, but the zones/rings and fleshy appearence brought it to mind. If we think of it as one that got started in a poor location for growing the more typical shelves due to it's poor choice in orientation (hey, it happens! <g>) AND unusual colors as well, then just maybe..... Here's a couple of pics I ran into looking for variations and they are reminiscent. http://www.pilzepilze.de/piga/zeige.htm?name=mehr&pilz=laetiporus_sulphureus&nr=0 http://www.mykoweb.com/CAF/photos/Laetiporus_sulphureus(fs).jpg This may very well be wrong, but i can't think of anything that resembles your pic, and due that pinky-flesh color and strong zones or color bands, I'm sure I'd remember seeing even a picture of something like this /IF/ this were its usual appearance.
Thanks Mycos for the suggestion. It doesn't seem to fit the Laetiporus family. I will have to take it to the next MMA meeting and hopefully someone can ID it there.
After two years I finally found my way back to this site... after a computer crash and loosing my "favorites" list. I sent this fungus to Ed Bosman, who was a mycologist with COMA. He has recently passed away. Ed identified this fungus as a Fomes fomentarius. He said the reason it looks "funny" is because the fungus was on a downed tree (birch) on a hiking trail, and it was being moved around so the fungus was reorienting itself so the pores would be down.
Ahhh! Given the flat, crustose-like growth pattern, that never would have occurred to me. But if the log has been getting rolled around fairly regularly, I guess it does makes some sense. Heh! How odd... Almost has a certain artistic appeal, an aesthetic of the sort that someone with the patience to cultivate Bonsai trees might appreciate. :-)
So that's what it is. It made a delicious tea (I think). Well, it didn't kill me. LOL You can make felt hats and fabrics from the fluff you get when you pound it. (Or start a campfire.)
I found a downed birch tree growing several nice little F. fomentarius so I decided to make it an experiment and see if I can make it "reorient" itself. I rolled the long over and I am going to keep a weekly check on it and see what happens to it.
