Fuscoporia gilva (Mustard Yellow Polypore)

March 10^th.  Still at Oconee Heritage Park (OHP). I found…

these old brackets on a tree by the trail. I knew, from experience, what they were: Fuscoporia gilva (Mustard Yellow Polypore), formerly called Phellinus gilvus. Although these brackets were old, they were quite beautiful.

A close-up of one of the brackets, and its…

pore surface. This fungus has very small pores. 

F. gilva brackets don’t always look like the above as as they age.

I found these older brackets on a fallen log at OHP on the same hike. 

I’ve only found fresh F. gilva with mustard yellow margins on one occasion, at Fort Yargo State Park, where I found them on a…

fallen tree trunk.

The tops of fresh brackets were a deep brown with a mustard yellow margin, hence, their common name, Mustard Yellow Polypore.

Their pore surface was also a deep purple-brown, with…

 

 very fine pores.

The mustard color faded to brown within a week.

Yet another cluster of F. gilva, growing on a tree at the State Botanical Gardens of Georgia, south of Athens, Georgia.

Even very small, developing brackets lacked the mustard yellow margins. They did, however, have very small pores characteristic of this species.

In this area, F. gilva brackets are usually approximately 2 – 2.5 inches wide, but they can grow up to 6 inches wide. They may grow as single, or clusters of overlapping brackets.

References:

- Messiah College: Phellinus gilvus (now Fuscoporia gilva) 

- Discover Life: Phellinus gilvus (now Fuscoporia gilva)