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Polypore fungi are a group of the Basidiomycetes division. They are united by one common feature – growth on a tree trunk. Tree tinder is a representative of this class, has several names: Oak tinder, Pseudoinonotus dryadeus, Inonotus wood.
Description of wood tinder
The fruiting body of the basidiomycete is formed in the form of a large sponge of irregular shape. The surface is velvety, covered with a layer of soft villi.
At high humidity, the fruiting body of the tinder tree is covered with yellow, small drops of a liquid similar to tree resin or amber
The pulp is hard, woody, dotted with a network of shallow ruts. These are the pores through which the liquid from the pulp is brought to the surface of the skin.
The fruiting body is elongated, half-shaped, and may be cushion-shaped. Its dimensions are among the largest: the length can reach up to half a meter.
The oak tinder fungus encircles the trunk of the tree on which it grows in a semicircle. The height of the pulp is approximately 12 cm. The edge of the fruit body is rounded, thickened and wavy, and the center is convex.
The skin of the basidiomycete is dull, the color is uniform, it can be mustard, light or dark yellow, red, rusty, olive or tobacco. The surface of the fruit body is uneven, bumpy, the reverse side is matte, velvety, white. Mature representatives of the species are covered with a rough crust or a thin, transparent layer of mycelium.
The hymenophore of the tinder fungus is tubular, brown-rusty. The length of the tubes does not exceed 2 cm, when dried, they become brittle. The spores are round, yellowish, with age the shape of the tinder fungus changes to angular, the color darkens, turns brown. The spore shell is thickened.
Where and how to grow
Inonotus woody grows in the European part of Our Country, including the Crimea, in the Caucasus, in the Middle and Southern Urals. Rare specimens can be found in Chelyabinsk, in the area of Mount Veselaya and the village of Vilyai.
In the world, the woody inonotus is distributed in North America. In Europe, in such countries as: Germany, Poland, Serbia, the Baltic countries, in Sweden and Finland, it is classified as a rare and endangered species. The decrease in its number is associated with the cutting down of old, mature, deciduous forests.
This is a wood-destroying species, its mycelium is located at the root neck of the oak, on the roots, less often on the trunk. Developing, the fruiting body provokes white rot, which destroys the tree.
Sometimes a spongy fruiting body can be found on maple, beech or elm.
The tree tinder fungus develops singly, rarely several specimens are attached to a tree trunk next to it in a tile-like manner.
The woody inonotus grows very quickly, but around July or August, its fruiting body is completely destroyed by insects. The mushroom picker does not bear fruit every year, it affects only oppressed, diseased trees growing in adverse conditions. As soon as the oak tinder fungus settles at the foot of the tree, the culture begins to wither, gives a weak increase, breaks even from mild gusts of wind.
Is the mushroom edible or not?
The oak forest representative of the tinder group (Pseudoinonotus dryadeus) does not belong to the edible species. It is not used for food in any form.
Twins and their differences
The appearance of the fungus is bright and unusual, it is difficult to confuse it with other basidiomycetes. Similar specimens have not been found. Even other representatives of tinder fungi have a not so bright color, a rounded shape and a bumpy surface.
Conclusion
The tree tinder fungus is a parasitic species that primarily affects the root of the plant. The mushroom can not be confused with others, thanks to the bright yellow color and amber drops on its surface. It is not used for food.