Pycnoporus.
Fungi > Division Basidiomycota > Class Agaricomycetes > Order Polyporales > Family Polyporaceae.
Pycnoporus is a genus of Polypore fungi causing white rot.
They are closely related to the Trametes which lack a bright red fruiting body.
There are 5 species including:
- Pycnoporus coccineus and Pycnoporus sanguineus which are found in Australia and
- Pycnoporus cinnabarinus which is an uncommon Northern Hemisphere species.
All are very similar macroscopically and need microscopy to distinguish them.
Pycnoporus coccineus.
Synonyms include Polyporus coccineus and Trametes coccinea.
A very common bracket fungus usually found in large groups on dead wood, especially Melaleuca.
A bright red mycelium spreads throughout the wood.
Fan-shped or semi-circular brackets are solitary or fused into shelves.
They usually have a lateral attachment but occasionally there is a short stalk.
The lateral attachment can be short or up to the whole width of the fruit body.
The leathery brackets have a radius of around 3 to 6 cm.
The bright red surface may fade to pink in sunlight or become almost white with age.
The upper surface becomes wrinkled, nodular or pitted with age.
It many have concentric zones and the thick rounded edge becomes thinner with age.
The pore layer is bright red and does not fade with age.
A very narrow area around the edge is sterile.
The pores are small and the spore print is white.
J.F.
