Content
The humpback polypore belongs to the Polyporaceae family. Among mycologists, the following synonymous names for the tree fungus are known: Trametes gibbosa, Merulius, or Polyporus, gibbosus, Daedalea gibbosa, or virescens, Lenzites, or Pseudotrametes, gibbosa.
In popular literature, the scientific name Trametes humpback is common. The identification of the species arose due to a small tuberculate prominence at the top of the mushroom.
Spore-bearing tubes are located radially from the base
Description of the humpback polypore
Annual fruiting bodies have cantilever-shaped caps that are sessile, semicircular or almost rounded, 3-20 cm wide.Polypores grow singly or in small families, are attached to wood with a wide base, and have no stalk. Polypores grow up to 6.5 cm in thickness. The flat caps are humpbacked due to a tubercle rising at the base. The young skin is velvety, white or grayish. Then, different in color, but darker concentric stripes from olive to brown tones are formed. As the humpback tinder fungus grows, the skin becomes smooth, without pubescence, in various creamy-ocher shades.
A peculiarity of the humpbacked species is that the fruiting body is often overgrown with epiphytic algae that take nutrition from the air. The edge of the fruit body is also brown or pink, pubescent. It becomes acute with age. The dense, white or yellow pulp consists of two layers:
- soft, fibrous, gray above;
- the bottom is tubular - corky, whitish.
Odorless mushroom.
Spores develop in white, yellowish or yellowish-gray tubes. The depth of the tubes is up to 1 cm, the pores are slit-like, the spore powder is white.
From afar, mushrooms may appear green due to algae
Where and how does it grow
The humpback polypore is a saprotroph, growing more often on fallen wood in the temperate zone of Eurasia and North America, preferring a warmer climate. The fruiting bodies of the humpbacked species are found on deciduous trees: beech, hornbeam, birch, alder, poplar and other trees.
But sometimes saprophytes destroy living wood, causing white rot, which spreads quickly. The humpback polypore begins to form in mid-summer and grows until the first frost. In favorable conditions it persists in winter.
Is the mushroom edible or not?
No toxic substances were detected in the fruiting bodies of the humpback tinder fungus.But mushrooms are inedible due to the very hard cork tissue, which becomes tough after drying.
Doubles and their differences
There are several inedible tree mushrooms similar to the humpback species:
- the graceful tinder fungus, which is rare in Russia and much smaller in size;
- coarse-haired tramethes;
- Dickens' Dedalea, common only in the Far Eastern forests;
- birch lensites.
A special characteristic of the humpback tinder fungus is the placement of slit-like pores, which radiate from the base to the edge of the cap. In addition, there are other signs:
- no fibers are visible on the velvety skin;
- pores rectangular, creamy yellow;
- The tubular layer in adult mushrooms is often labyrinthine.
In Trametes graceful, the pores are similar in shape, but diverge in the form of a fountain from several central points
The coarse-haired tramethes is distinguished by well-defined pubescence of the cap and elongated pores
Dedalea has creamy-brown flesh, much darker than Trametes humpback.
The bottom of Lensites is lamellar
Application of humpback trametes
When studying the fruiting bodies of this type of polypore, they discovered substances that help stop inflammatory processes and prevent the development of viruses, as well as antitumor effects. Experts in traditional medicine use natural raw materials for bacterial infections and excess weight. Masters of folk crafts use the hard pulp of tree mushrooms to create small decorative items for interiors and landscape and park architecture.
Conclusion
The humpback tinder fungus is often found in forests.Although the fruiting bodies are inedible due to their tough pulp, they are sometimes used for decoration. On living trees, fungi cause significant harm, causing white rot.
