Berkeley's Polypore
Bondarzewia berkeleyi
This species is one of the largest polypores in North America; a single clustered specimen can grow over two feet wide and weigh up to 50 pounds.
- Scientific name
- Bondarzewia berkeleyi
- Taxonomy
- Fungi › Basidiomycota › Agaricomycetes › Russulales › Bondarzewiaceae › Bondarzewia
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- forest
- Habitat
- Temperate deciduous forests, growing at the base of mature hardwood trees, particularly oaks.
- Diet
- Parasitic on living tree roots (causing white butt rot) and saprophytic on dead wood.
- Range
- North America, East Asia
- Size
- Clusters can reach 25 to 60 cm in diameter and weigh up to 22 kg.
- Lifespan
- Fruiting bodies last for a few weeks to a month, while the underground mycelium can live for decades.
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Deforestation, clear-cutting of old-growth oak forests, and removal of host trees.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless. Safe to touch and observe. While young, tender specimens are edible, older mushrooms become extremely tough and bitter. Never consume any wild fungus without expert identification.
Bondarzewia berkeleyi , commonly known as Berkeley's polypore , or stump blossoms , is a species of polypore fungus in the family Russulaceae. It is a parasitic species that causes butt rot in oaks and other hardwood trees. A widespread fungus, it is found in Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America.
Photo: Mark Richman, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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