A bracket fungus(Pycnoporus sp.) with a tough, woody cap

A bracket fungus, this one grooved and hairy, especially at the margins

Bracket fungi, or shelf fungus, are fungi of the family Polyporaceae, notable for bearing fruiting bodies (conk) as or in a "bracket": a grouping of individual mushroom caps that lie in a close planar grouping of separate or interconnected horizontal rows. Brackets can range from only a single row of a few caps, to dozens of rows of caps that can weigh several hundred pounds. They are typically tough and sturdy and produce their spores on the tubes of the undersurface. Many types of bracket fungi are also polypores. Bracket fungus is cultivated for its nutritional values. Bracket fungus (Pycnoporus sp. ... Bracket fungus (Pycnoporus sp. ... Photograph of a bracket fungus (possibly Laetiporus sulphureus) taken by Eric Guinther and released under the GNU Free Documentation License. ... Photograph of a bracket fungus (possibly Laetiporus sulphureus) taken by Eric Guinther and released under the GNU Free Documentation License. ... Divisions Chytridiomycota Deuteromycota Zygomycota Glomeromycota Ascomycota Basidiomycota Fungus growing on a tree in Borneo A fungus (plural fungi) is a eukaryotic organism that digests its food externally and absorbs the nutrient molecules into its cells. ... Genera Polyporus . ... Basidiocarps (mushrooms) of the fungus Leucocoprinus sp. ... Polypores are a group of tough, leathery poroid mushrooms similar to boletes, but typically lacking a distinct stalk. ...

Examples of bracket fungi include the Oyster mushroom, Sulphur shelf, Birch Bracket, Turkey Tail, and the Beefsteak Fungus. Binomial name Pleurotus ostreatus Champ. ... Species Laetiporus sulphureus Laetiporus cincinnatus Old sulphur shelf mushrooms Young Chicken of the Woods Mushroom Sulphur shelf (Laetiporous sulphureous) is a very easily distinguishable mushroom that grows throughout most of the world. ... Binomial name Piptoporus betulinus Birch Bracket (Piptoporus betulinus - also known as Razor Strop) is one of the commonest polyporous bracket fungi, growing almost exclusively on Birch, as the name suggests. ... Binomial name Fistulina hepatica The Beefsteak Fungus (Fistulina hepatica) is an unusual polyporous bracket fungus that is most commonly seen in Britain, but can be found in North America, Australia, and the rest of Europe. ...

Laetiporus sulphureus