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The chestnut tinder fungus (Polyporus badius) belongs to the Polypore family, the genus Polyporus. A very remarkable spongy mushroom, reaching large sizes. First described and classified as Boletus durus in 1788. Various mycologists have referred to it differently:
- Boletus batschii, 1792;
- Grifola badia, 1821 г;
- Polyporus picipes, 1838 г.
At the end of the XNUMXth century, the chestnut tinder fungus was finally assigned to the genus Polyporus and received its modern name.
Like other Polypores, the chestnut tinder fungus settles on wood.
Description of the chestnut tinder
The fruit body has a rather attractive appearance. It looks especially impressive after rain or heavy dew – a bright hat literally shines like polished.
There is often some moisture left in the funnel-shaped depression.
Cap Description
Chestnut tinder can have the most bizarre outlines: funnel-shaped, fan-shaped or petal. There are specimens in the form of an open saucer, a regular fringed circle with a depression in the center, eccentric ear-shaped or amorphous-wavy. The color is reddish-brown, dark chocolate, brown-pink, olive-cream, gray-beige or milky honey. The color is uneven, darker in the center and light, almost white at the edge, and can change during the life of the fungus.
The fruit body reaches very large sizes – from 2-5 to 8-25 cm in diameter. Very thin, with sharp, uneven or wavy edges. The surface is smooth, slightly shiny, satin. The pulp is hard, white or light brown in color, elastic. It has a delicate mushroom aroma, almost tasteless. It’s pretty hard to break. In overgrown specimens, the tissue becomes woody, corky, rather brittle.
The geminophore is tubular, finely porous, unevenly descending along the stem. White, creamy pinkish or pale ocher. The thickness is not more than 1-2 mm.
This specimen resembles an elephant’s ear or oriental fan.
Description of the leg
The chestnut tinder fungus has a relatively small thin leg. It is usually located in the center of the cap or shifted to one edge. Its length is from 1,5 to 3,5 cm, thickness is from 0,5 to 1,6 cm. Dark-colored, almost black. The color is uneven, lighter towards the cap. Young mushrooms have a velvety pile, adult specimens are smooth, as if varnished.
The leg is sometimes covered with a creamy-pink bloom.
Where and how to grow
The habitat is quite extensive. You can meet the chestnut tinder fungus in the European part of Our Country, in Siberia and the Far East, in Kazakhstan, in Western Europe, in the northern part of America and in Australia. It grows in single, rare groups in deciduous and mixed forests, in moist, shady places. Prefers to settle on hardwood: alder, oak, poplar, fagus, willow, walnut, linden and others. It is extremely rare to find it on coniferous trees.
It can develop both on a living tree and on fallen trees, stumps, fallen and standing dead trunks. Quite often it is a neighbor of the scaly tinder fungus. Mushroom mushrooms begin to bear fruit with the establishment of warm weather, usually in May. Active growth is observed until the first frost in late October.
Edible chestnut tinder fungus or not
The chestnut tinder fungus is classified as an inedible mushroom due to its low nutritional value and hard pulp. However, it does not contain toxic or poisonous substances in its composition.
Despite the beautiful appearance, there is no nutritional value
Twins and their differences
Trutovik chestnut, especially young specimens, can be confused with some members of the genus Trutovik. However, the record size and characteristic color make these fruiting bodies one of a kind. It has no poisonous twins in Eurasia.
May fungus. Inedible, non-toxic. Differs in the light color of the legs, the absence of a gun on it.
Its hat is noticeably pubescent with small brown scales and has an umbrella shape.
Trutovik winter. Not poisonous, inedible. Differs in smaller sizes and larger, angular pores.
The color of the hat is closer to chestnut brown.
Polyporus blackfoot. Inedible, non-toxic. It is distinguished by a purple-black color of the legs with a grayish-silver pubescence.
The hat has a distinct depression at the junction with the stem.
Polyporus is variable. Inedible, non-toxic. It has a thin long leg, smooth-silky to the touch.
Funnel-shaped hat, bright brown, with radial stripes
Conclusion
The chestnut tinder fungus is quite widespread on all continents of the Earth. In favorable years, it bears fruit abundantly, covering trees and stumps with an original lacquer-shiny decoration from its fruiting bodies. It grows both in small groups and singly. Inedible due to low nutritional qualities, it will not harm the body either. It does not have poisonous twins; an inattentive mushroom picker can confuse it with some similar types of tinder fungi.
