Tyromyces chioneus

[ Basidiomycetes > Polyporales > Polyporaceae > Tyromyces . . . ]

by Michael Kuo

Tyromyces chioneus is the ho-hum pinnacle of the polypore world, if you ask me. Its boring white cap and pore surface, combined with its soggy texture and lack of interesting microscopic details, are definitely not counterbalanced by the only "interesting" thing about it: its slightly fragrant odor. Oh, sure, the world probably needs Tyromyces chioneus (it is a widespread and common decomposer of deadwood)--but that doesn't mean I have to get excited about it.

Tyromyces albellus and Polyporus albellus are synonyms.

Description:

Ecology: Saprobic on the deadwood of hardwoods, especially birch; causing a white rot; annual; growing alone or with two or three other fruiting bodies; summer and fall; fairly widely distributed from the Great Plains to the Maritime provinces but apparently absent in the southeastern United States--also reported in the Pacific Northwest and northern California.

Cap: Up to 12 cm across and 8 cm deep; convex; semicircular to kidney-shaped; very finely velvety at first, becoming bald and, in old age, developing a crusty surface that becomes wrinkled or shriveled; white to off-white or, in age, yellowish to brownish; soft.

Pore Surface: White, becoming yellowish in old age or when dried out; not bruising appreciably; with 3-5 circular to angular pores per mm; tubes to 8 mm deep.

Stem: Absent.

Flesh: White; soft and watery when fresh.

Odor and Taste: Odor fragrant when fresh; taste not distinctive, or slightly bitter.

Chemical Reactions: KOH negative on cap surface and flesh.

Spore Print: White.

Microscopic Features: Spores 4-5 x 1.5-2 µ; smooth; cylindric to slightly allantoid; hyaline in KOH; inamyloid. Cystidia absent, but fusoid cystidioles present. Hyphal system dimitic.

REFERENCES: (Fries, 1815) Karsten, 1881. (Fries, 1821; Saccardo, 1888; Overholts, 1953; Arora, 1986; Gilbertson & Ryvarden, 1987; Phillips, 1991/2005; Lincoff, 1992; Barron, 1999; Roody, 2003; McNeil, 2006.) Herb. Kuo 11020501, 08020803.

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Cite this page as:

Kuo, M. (2010, March). Tyromyces chioneus. Retrieved from the MushroomExpert.Com Web site: http://www.mushroomexpert.com/tyromyces_chioneus.html