marshmallow polypore

marshmallow polypore (Spongipellis pachyodon) Photo © Hank Guarisco

FEATURES
The fruiting body is variable in form, sometimes just appearing as a pore surface. Sometimes the caps are well-defined and at other times they are not. The fruiting body is about two inches wide and two inches deep and white to pale yellow. The pores are often eroded from the flesh and have a toothlike appearance. The spore print is believed to be white.

BEHAVIORS
The fruiting bodies grow in stacks or clusters on the trunks of oaks and other hardwoods. They appear in summer and fall. This is a parasitic species that feeds on living tree tissues. It causes a white heart rot.

​Kingdom: Fungi

Phylum: Basidiomycota

Class: Basidiomycetes

Order: Polyporales

Family: Cerrenaceae