Meripilus giganteus
| Meripilus giganteus | |
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| M. giganteus | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Basidiomycota |
| Class: | Agaricomycetes |
| Order: | Polyporales |
| Family: | Meripilaceae |
| Genus: | Meripilus |
| Species: | M. giganteus |
| Binomial name | |
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Meripilus giganteus (Pers.) Karst. (1882) |
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| Synonyms | |
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| Meripilus giganteus | |
|---|---|
| Mycological characteristics | |
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pores on hymenium |
 
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cap is offset or indistinct |
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hymenium is decurrent |
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lacks a stipe |
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spore print is white |
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ecology is saprotrophic |
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edibility: edible |
cap is offset
Meripilus giganteus is a polypore fungus in the family Meripilaceae. It causes a white rot in various types of broadleaved trees, particularly beech (Fagus), but also Abies, Picea, Pinus, Quercus and Ulmus species. This bracket fungus, commonly known as the giant polypore or black-staining polypore, is often found in large clumps at the base of trees, although fruiting bodies are sometimes found some distance away from the trunk, parasitizing the roots. M. giganteus has a circumboreal distribution in the northern Hemisphere, and is widely distributed in Europe. In the field, it is recognizable by the large, multi-capped fruiting body, as well as its pore surface that quickly darkens black when bruised or injured.
The basidiocarps consist of numerous rosette-like flattened fan-shaped pilei; they are typically 50–200 centimetres (20–79 in) in diameter and 20–80 centimetres (7.9–31.5 in) high. The individual caps, up to 20–80 centimetres (7.9–31.5 in) diameter and 1–4 centimetres (0.39–1.57 in) thick, arise from a common basal stem.
The color of the cap surface is pale tan to dull chestnut brown in young specimens but darkens in age to become concentric zones (zonate) of various shades of brown.
The surface is also finely fibrillose with tiny scales (squamules). There are 3 to 6 pores per millimeter on the underside; the pore surface bruises brown and black, helping to distinguish it from the similar species Grifola frondosa.
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Wikipedia