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Species Information
Summary: This is a member of the Phellinus igniarius complex according to Zhou, L.-W.(1). Features include 1) a bracket-like fruitbody on living aspen, attached to branch scars by a granular core of tissue, 2) the upper surface (at about 45 degrees) pale brown tomentose, becoming black, crusted and cracked, 3) the pore surface at about 45 degrees and purplish brown with small circular pores, 4) tubes that are stuffed with white mycelium, and 5) microscopic characters.
Phellinus tremulae has been found in BC, WA, OR, ID, AB, MB, NT, NB, NF, NS, ON, PQ, SK, YT, AK, AZ, CA, CO, CT, IA, IL, IN, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MT, ND, NH, NM, NV, NY, OH, PA, SD, UT, VA, VT, WI, WV, and WY, (Gilbertson). It also occurs in Europe (Breitenbach).
Cap: up to 20cm wide and 15cm thick, bracket-like, with pore surface and upper surface at about 45 degrees, woody, attached to wood "by a granular core of tissue that is continuous into the decayed branch stub"; pale brown near margin, soon becoming blackened; finely tomentose at first, soon crust-like and cracked, (Gilbertson), 5-12cm along wood and projecting out 5-10cm, bracket-like to hoof-shaped, sometimes shelf-like or completely flat; gray to black; zoned, smooth, crustose, cracked when old; margin lighter and sharp, (Breitenbach)
Flesh: woody, with a granular core at the place of attachment; dark reddish brown, (Gilbertson), 0.2-0.5cm thick, corky; dark brown; where attached with "dark brown, white-marbled, friable mycelial core" 1-3cm in size, which is partly embedded in the wood, (Breitenbach)
Pores: 5-7 per mm, circular, thick-walled; purplish brown; tube layers indistinctly stratified (each layer up to 0.2cm thick), tubes becoming stuffed with white mycelium, (Gilbertson), 5-6 per mm, rounded-angular, gray-brown to tobacco brown or dark brown; tube layer up to 2.5cm, tubes distinctly layered, (Breitenbach)
Odor: sweet wintergreen, (Gilbertson), similar to methyl salicylate (Breitenbach from Romagnesi), indistinct (Buczacki)
Taste: indistinct (Buczacki)
Microscopic: spores 4.5-5 x 4-4.5 microns, nearly round, smooth, inamyloid, colorless, "with thickened wall at maturity"; basidia 4-spored, 8-10 x 6-7 microns, broadly ovoid, simple-septate at base; setae few to numerous, 12-30 x 6-7.5 microns, projecting to 15 microns, ventricose to subulate [awl-shaped], brown in KOH, thick-walled; hyphae of context of 2 types: 1) 2-3 microns wide, pale yellowish to almost colorless, thin-walled, simple-septate, 2) 4-6 microns, dark reddish brown, thick-walled; granular core "composed of densely interwoven, branching hyphae with clusters of thick-walled, dark reddish brown, irregularly shaped and contorted cells"; hyphae of trama with parallel arrangement, (Gilbertson), spores 4.8-5.6 x 3.5-5 microns, nearly round, smooth, inamyloid, colorless, thick-walled; setae common, 16-25 x 7-9 microns, brown, thick-walled, (Breitenbach)
Spore Deposit: white (Buczacki)
Habitat / Range
perennial, developing at branch scars, only on Populus tremuloides (Quaking Aspen) and P. grandidentata (Bigtooth Aspen), associated with a white trunk rot of living trees, and "a major decay fungus throughout the range of aspen", (Gilbertson), mostly on standing aspen or on other Populus species, according to literature rarely on Alnus, Quercus, Sorbus, (Breitenbach for Europe), all year (Buczacki)
Similar Species
Phellinus igniarius differs "primarily by a non-decurrent tube layer, somewhat larger spores, and occurrence on other hardwoods", (Breitenbach). See also SIMILAR section of Phellinus pomaceus.
