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The smoky polypore is a representative of tinder species that destroy wood. It settles on the stumps of dead trees, soon after which the plant remains turn into dust. In various sources you can find its other names: smoky bierkandera, Latin - Bjerkandera fumosa.
Description of the smoky tinder fungus
The cap grows up to 12 cm in circumference, up to 2 cm thick, its color is pale gray, with the edges being lighter than the center. The surface is smooth or finely hairy.
The shape of the mushroom is effusive-reflex, stretched over the substrate, in the form of a cap attached to the trunk, or spread out, curved. The leg is missing.
There may be several mushroom caps on a tree, over time they grow together into one common mass
Ripened smoky tinder fungi turn yellow. The edges of the cap are rounded and become sharper as they grow. A young representative of the species is loose, light gray, becoming dense and brown with age.
A distinctive feature of a ripened specimen: when cut, a thin, dark line can be seen on the fruiting body above the layer of tubes. The flesh of the mushroom is thin, dark brown in color, spongy and hard in consistency.
With the onset of fruiting period, Bjorkandera produces white, beige or colorless pores. They are located on the back side of the fruiting body, have a round, spherical shape, and become angular over time. On 1 mm of the surface of the fungus, 2 to 5 smooth, small spores ripen. Their powder is straw yellow.
Where and how does it grow
The parasitic fungus grows on fallen forest and garden trees and rotting stumps of deciduous crops. For gardeners, the appearance of a bjorkandera is a signal of the unhealthiness of the fruit-bearing tree. It is necessary to immediately take measures to destroy the parasite, since the entire area will soon be infected.
In spring, the fungus parasitizes living trees, without signs of wilting
Fruiting begins in April and lasts until the end of autumn (November). The smoky polypore feeds on decaying wood debris. The parasitic fungus is widespread in the Northern Hemisphere, everywhere in Russia, except for the southern regions.
Is the mushroom edible or not?
The smoky polypore belongs to the inedible species of mushrooms. Has no nutritional value.
How does the smoky tinder fungus affect trees?
Mycelium spores penetrate the tree bark through cracks and fissures.Bjorkandera, settling on the bark, grows into the center of the trunk, destroying it from the inside, turning it into dust. When it first appears, measures are taken, most often radical - the tree is destroyed, since it is impossible to remove the mycelium under the bark. All stumps affected by spores of the smoky tinder fungus are also uprooted. Bjorkandera cannot be allowed to spread: it produces new, young fruiting bodies in a short time.
Doubles and their differences
The tinder fungus of this species has an inedible counterpart - scorched Bjerkandera. The mushroom is widespread not only in Russia, but throughout the world. Fruits from May to November.
Contrasting color distinguishes this basidiomycete from other representatives of the species
The mushroom cap has a shape identical to the smoky tinder fungus - semicircular, prostrate, but with thicker flesh. The tubes are also larger and brownish.
The skin on the cap is velvety and finely hairy. The color of scorched bjorkandera is darker than that of the tinder fungus, almost black or dark gray, the edges have a whitish edging.
The places and habitat of both species are identical.
Conclusion
The smoky polypore is a basidiomycete that parasitizes deciduous trees. Its appearance provokes the development of white mold, a dangerous disease for garden crops. The fight against the fungus at the first sign of its appearance should begin immediately. The main method is uprooting and removing infected plant debris from the site.
