Summary:
Oxyporus populinus forms perennial bracket-like to shelf-like cream to buff fruitbodies on live hardwoods, especially maple, frequently in tiers, and frequently moss-covered on the upper surface. Pores are small and whitish to yellowish. Spores measure 3.5-4.5 x 2.5-4.0 microns and cystidia are thin-walled and apically encrusted.

Odor:
slightly fungusy (Phillips), weak (Breitenbach)

Taste:
mild (Breitenbach)

Microscopic:
spores 3.5-4.5 x 2.5-4 microns, nearly round, smooth, inamyloid, colorless; basidia 4-spored, 8-12 x 5-5.5 microns, ovoid to broadly clavate, simple-septate at base; cystidia abundant, 20-35 x 3-4.5 microns, cylindric to clavate, thin-walled, "capitately to entirely incrusted, incrustation dissolving rapidly in KOH", incrusted portion 6-12 microns wide; hyphae monomitic, hyphae of context 2.5-4.5 microns, colorless, thin-walled to thick-walled, simple-septate, hyphae of trama similar, mostly thin-walled, (Gilbertson), spores 3.5-4.5 x 2.5-4 microns, nearly round, smooth, (Phillips), 4-5.5 x 4-5.5 microns, round, smooth, colorless, (Lincoff), spores 3.5-4.5 x 3-4.5 microns, nearly round, smooth, inamyloid, colorless, some with droplets; cystidia exserted beyond hymenium, 15-20 x 4-7 microns, thick-walled, capped with crystals, (Breitenbach)

Spore Deposit:
white (Phillips)

Notes:
Oxyporus populinus has been found in BC, also MB, ON, PQ, NS, AR, CT, DE, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, NC, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NY, OH, PA, RI, TN, VA, VT, WI, WV, (Gilbertson), also Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, (Breitenbach)

EDIBILITY

no (Phillips)

Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Corticium propinquum H.S. Jacks. & Dearden
Fomes connatus (Weinm.) Gillet
Gloeocystidiellum propinquum (H.S. Jacks. & Dearden) Parmasto
Polyporus populinus Schumach.: Fr.