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Polyporus cellular is a member of the Tinder or Polypore family. Unlike most of its relatives, which are parasites of deciduous trees, this species prefers to grow on their dead parts – fallen trunks, broken branches, stumps, etc. The fungus is widespread in the temperate climate zone on almost all continents of the Earth.
What does polyporus cellular look like?
The division of a cellular tinder fungus (another name is alveolar) into a stem and a hat is very conditional. Externally, the mushroom is a semi- or full ring of the fruiting body, attached to the trunk or branches of a tree. In most specimens, the stem is either very short or absent altogether. A photo of the adult fruiting bodies of the cellular tinder fungus is given below:
Fruit bodies of Polyporus alveolarus on a fallen tree
The hat itself rarely exceeds 8 cm in diameter, and its shape depends on various factors. Most often it is round or oval. The color of the hat on top can have various shades of yellow or orange. Almost always, the surface of the upper part of the fungus is “sprinkled” with darker scales. In older specimens, this difference in color is negligible.
The polyporus hymenophore is a cellular structure, which is reflected in the name of the fungus. Each section has an elongated shape and dimensions from 1 to 5 mm. The depth can be up to 5 mm. In fact, this is a modified tubular type of hymenophore. The color of the bottom of the hat is slightly lighter than that of the top.
The leg of the alveolar polyporus is almost invisible
Even if the fungus has a leg, its length is very small, up to 10 mm. The location is usually lateral, but sometimes central. The surface of the stem is covered with hymenophore cells.
Where and how to grow
Polyporus cellular grows in the temperate climate of the Northern Hemisphere. It can be found in Europe, Asia and America. In the Southern Hemisphere, representatives of the species are widespread in Australia.
Polyporus cellular grows on dead branches and trunks of hardwoods. In fact, it is a saprotroph, that is, a decomposer of hardwood. On the trunks of living plants, the fungus is almost never found. The mycelium of polyporus cellular is a so-called. “white rot”, located inside dead wood.
In terms of ripening, this species is early: the first fruiting bodies appear in mid-spring. Their formation continues until the beginning of autumn. If the summer turned out to be cold, fruiting begins in mid-June.
Usually cellular polyporus grows in small groups of 2-3 pieces. Sometimes there are larger colonies. Single specimens are extremely rare.
Is the mushroom edible or not?
Polyporus cellular is classified as an edible species. This means that it can be eaten, but the process of eating the mushroom itself will be fraught with certain difficulties. Like all representatives of tinder fungus, it has a very hard pulp.
Prolonged heat treatment does not eliminate this problem. Young specimens are slightly softer, but they have a large amount of firm fibers, as, for example, in overripe eggplants. Those who have tried polyporus note its inexpressive taste and weak mushroom aroma.
Twins and their differences
The tinder fungus in question has a unique shape, so confusing it with others is quite problematic. At the same time, even representatives of the Polyporov family, although they have a similar structure of the hymenophore, have a completely different structure of the cap and legs.
The only species that can be confused with the cellular tinder fungus is its close relative, the pitted polyporus. The similarity is especially noticeable in adults and old fruiting bodies.
However, even a cursory glance at the pitted tinder fungus is enough to notice the difference from the alveolar one. This representative of the mushroom kingdom has a long leg. But the main difference is the deep notch on the hat, from which the species got its name. In addition, there are no hymenophore cells on the stem of the pitted tinder fungus.
The characteristic differences between a pitted tinder fungus and a cellular one are a long stem and a concave cap
Conclusion
Polyporus cellularis is a fungus that grows on the dead parts of the wood of deciduous trees, found everywhere in temperate climates. Its fruiting bodies are brightly colored and clearly visible from afar. The mushroom is not poisonous, it can be eaten, but the taste of the pulp is very mediocre, because it is too hard and has almost no taste and smell.
