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Daedalea quercina |
Usually solitary, this large imposing bracket fungus sometimes occurs in tiers, particularly on the cut ends of felled oak trunks. It is less often seen on other kinds of hardwood timber. Daedalea quercina is sometimes referred to as the Maze-gill Fungus, because the very wide gill-like pores are radially-aligned in a pattern that resembles a maze. It is from its labyrinthine gill-like pores that this bracket fungus gets its generic scientific name. In Greek mythology, Daedalus constructed a labyrinth at Knossos for King Minos of Crete, and in that labyrinth lived the Minotaur - half-man, half-bull. |
Description |
Most often seen on oak stumps, this cork-like bracket grows to between 6 and 20 cm across and is 2 to 5 cm thick. |
Tubes and Pores |
The pores are in the form of large slots
interconnected to form a maze-like structure with the slots generally
aligned radially.
Ochraceous, the gill-like slots are 1 to 4 cm deep. |
Spore print |
White. |
Odour/taste |
Slight acrid odour; no distinctive taste but a very tough texture. |
Habitat |
On dead oak wood and, less frequently, sweet chestnut. |
Season |
All year round, but shedding spores in late summer and autumn. |
Occurrence |
Infrequent. |
Similar species |
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