Inonotus dryadeus, Oak Bracket

Common Name: Oak Bracket

Inonotus dryadeus, commonly known as Oak Bracket, warted oak polypore, weeping polypore or weeping conk, is an inedible species of fungus belonging to the genus Inonotus, which consists of bracket fungi with fibrous flesh, which is soft and fibrous, yellow-brown in colour and has an unpleasant odour.

Most often found growing at the base of oak trees, it causes white rot and decay of the trunks. It secretes an amber liquid which weeps from tubes in its upper surface.

Inonotus dryadeus is a parasitic saprobic fungus, with spores entering wounds on broadleaf trees (predominantly oak, although sometimes maple, elm and chestnut). It grows close to the ground on the trunk, thickly attached, and either singly or in groups.

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