Phaeolus schweinitzii - Dyer's Mazegill

Taxonomy

Phylum: Basidiomycota

Class: Agaricomycetes

Order: Polyporales

This large bracket fungus appears at the roots of conifers, mainly pine and spruce trees but also occasionaly larches, sometimes in two or three overlaping tiers. It is an annual bracket and can be either round or fan shaped with a distinctive yellow margin blending, as the fruitbody matures, to a browner central region. The common name comes from its use in dyeing yarn yellow. You may also find this species listed under its synonymous scientific name Phaeolus spadiceus.

Identification Guide

	Description This fairly common polypore has felty margin and a glistening pore surface that is sometimes hidden from view because of its low-growing habits. Typically 15 to 25cm in diameter and 2 to 5cm thick, the fruiting bodies arise from a very short brown stem that is sometimes completely buried below in leaf litter of the forest floor.
Tubes and Pores	The tube layer can be up to 1.5cm thick, with pores spaced at 2 to 3 per mm on a greenish-yellow background that gradually turns a reddish brown with age.
Spore print	Yellow.
Odour/taste	No noticeable odour; slightly bitter taste.
Habitat	Restricted to coniferous trees.
Season	Throughout summer and autumn.
Occurrence	Infrequent.
Similar species	Laetiporus sulphureus is all-over yellow and most often grown above the root system of hardwood trees.