Polyporus elegans Bull.: Fr.
elegant polypore
Polyporaceae
Species account author: Ian Gibson.
Extracted from Matchmaker: Mushrooms of the Pacific Northwest.
Introduction to the Macrofungi
elegant polypore
Polyporaceae
Species account author: Ian Gibson.
Extracted from Matchmaker: Mushrooms of the Pacific Northwest.
Introduction to the Macrofungi
Species Information
Summary:
features include tough thin circular tan to chestnut brown cap that becomes depressed, small pale buff pores, central to lateral stem that is brown at top and black at base, and microscopic characters including generative hyphae with clamp connections; the species has been regarded as a synonym of Polyporus varius, (MycoBank, accessed September 6, 2017, has Polyporus elegans (Bull.) Trog as a synonym of Polyporus varius (Pers.:Fr.)) but the online Species Fungorum, accessed September 6, 2017 synonymizes Polyporus elegans Bull. and Polyporus elegans Fr. with Cerioporus leptocephalus (Jacq.) Zmitr. Ginns(28) uses the name Polyporus leptocephalus (Jacq.) Fr.
Microscopic:
spores 7.5-10 x 2.5-3 microns, cylindric, slightly curved, smooth, inamyloid, colorless; basidia 4-spored, 15-20 x 6-7 microns, broadly clavate, with basal clamp; cystidia none; hyphae dimitic, generative hyphae of context 2.5-4 microns wide, thin-walled, with clamp connections, binding hyphae of context 2.5-5 microns, thick-walled, nonseptate, much branched; hyphae of trama similar, (Gilbertson), spores 6.5-10 x 2.5-4 microns, cylindric, smooth, (Arora)
Spore Deposit:
white (Arora)
Notes:
Polyporus elegans has been found in BC, WA, OR, ID, AB, MB, NS, ON, PQ, YT, AK, AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DE, GA, IA, KY, MA, ME, MI, MN, MT, NC, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, TN, UT, VA, VT, WI, WV, and WY, (Gilbertson).
EDIBILITY
too tough (Arora)
Habitat and Range
SIMILAR SPECIES
Polyporus badius is usually larger, has a darker cap and most often an entirely black stem, and often grows on logs and stumps whereas P. elegans is more common on branches and sticks, (Arora). P. badius has a dark brown or blackish brown cap, it is usually larger, and it lacks clamp connections, (Gilbertson). Polyporus varius has a radially streaked cap and is intermediate in color between P. elegans and P. badius, (Arora). P. varius has a radially streaked cap (Gilbertson). Polyporus melanopus has "a velvety stem and velvety-scurfy cap, at least when young" and "grows from the ground or from buried wood", (Arora). P. melanopus is generally larger, has a black velvety stem, and grows on the ground, (Gilbertson).Habitat
annual, usually single, on dead hardwoods, occasionally on conifers, associated with white rot of dead hardwoods, (Gilbertson), single or several together "on decaying hardwood sticks, branches and debris (only rarely on conifers)", (Arora)