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Gleophyllum sepiarium is a widespread mushroom. It belongs to the Gleophyllaceae family. There are also other names for this mushroom: Russian - tinder fungus, and Latin - Daedalea sepiaria, Lenzitina sepiaria, Agaricus sepiarius.
What does gleophyllum fence look like?
Grows on dead or damaged wood
Gleophyllum fence is found in temperate latitudes in summer and autumn, in the southern regions - all year round. The fruiting bodies are most often annual, but under favorable conditions they can reach four years of age.
From above, the surface of the mushroom is noticeable: bristly pubescence, tuberculate grooves and irregularities, concentric zones - dark in the center and light along the edge.The main color of the fruiting bodies changes with age - in young specimens it is rusty with a brown tint, in older specimens it becomes brown.
The fruiting bodies are rosette, half-shaped, fan-shaped or irregular in shape. Sometimes they are spread out and grow together with their lateral surfaces. Most often they grow on a substrate one above the other in the form of tiles.
On the inner surface of a young mushroom you can see the short labyrinthine tubes of the hymenophore; in mature specimens it is lamellar, light brown or rusty. Fungal tissue has a corky consistency and turns black when exposed to KOH (potassium hydroxide).
Where and how does it grow
Gleophyllum fence is found in Russia, as well as in other countries on all continents except Antarctica. It is most often found in areas with temperate climates. The fungus is a saprotroph; it destroys dead wood and leads to the development of brown rot. Prefers coniferous trees, occasionally growing on aspen.
You can find the mushroom by examining dead wood, dead wood, and stumps in open clearings in the forest. Sometimes it is found in old barns or storage facilities built from logs. Polypores growing indoors have an underdeveloped sterile fruiting body with coral-like branches and a reduced hymenophore.
Is the mushroom edible or not?
No toxic substances were found in the gleophyllum. However, the hard pulp does not allow it to be classified as an edible representative of the mushroom kingdom.
Doubles and their differences
A similar species is the fir gleophyllum, a rare inedible mushroom that grows in coniferous forests. Unlike the tinder fungus, its hymenophore consists of sparse, torn plates. The surface of the fruiting body is smooth, without bristles.
Has a rich bright color of the cap
Another look-alike, Gleophyllum logum, prefers deciduous forests. It is inedible. Often found on log buildings, forming ugly growths of fruiting bodies. It differs from the fence polypore in the grayish tint of mature specimens.
The hymenophore is characterized by the presence of pores and plates
Gleophyllum oblongata grows on dead wood of both coniferous and deciduous trees. It is inedible and has a slightly elongated cap shape. The main difference from the tinder fungus is the tubular hymenophore.
This species has a smooth and soft cap surface
Conclusion
Gleophyllum fenceum settles on dead and treated wood of coniferous or deciduous species. The fruiting bodies do not contain toxic substances, but are of no nutritional value due to their specific cork structure. The tinder fungus causes damage to wood.
