Cerioporus squamosus
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Cerioporus squamosus, synonym Polyporus squamosus, is a basidiomycete bracket fungus, with common names including dryad's saddle and pheasant's back mushroom.[1] It has a widespread distribution, being found in Australia, Eurasia, and North America, and it causes a white rot in the heartwood of living and dead hardwood trees.
Taxonomy
The species was first described scientifically by British botanist William Hudson in 1778, who named it Boletus squamosus.[2] It was given its current name in 1886 by Lucien Quélet but is still widely known by the Elias Magnus Fries name Polyporus squamosus.[3]
Etymology
Squamosus comes from the Latin squamosus meaning covered with scales or scaly,[4] referring to the signature dark brown scales found on the mushroom's cap.
The name "dryad's saddle" refers to creatures in Greek mythology called dryads who could conceivably sit and rest on this mushroom, whereas the pheasant's back analogy derives from the pattern of colors on the bracket matching that of a pheasant's back.
Description
Dryad's saddle is an annual[5] mushroom commonly found attached to dead logs and stumps or on living hardwood trees at one point with a thick stem. Generally, the fruit body is round and between Template:Convert across[6] – exceptionally Template:Convert[7] – and up to Template:Convert thick. The body can be yellow to brown and has "squamules" or scales on its upper side. On the underside one can see the pores that are characteristic of the genus Cerioporus; they are made up of tubes packed together closely. The tubes are between Template:Convert long. The stalk is Template:Convert long and Template:Convert thick.[6][1] The mushroom's smell resembles that of watermelon rind.[1]
The fruit body produces a white spore print.[6] The spores are 11–15 x 4–5 μm and are long and smooth ellipsoids. They can be found alone, in clusters of two or three, or forming shelves. Young specimens are soft but toughen with age. It is particularly common on dead elm and is also found on living maple trees. The fruit bodies, or "shelves" can grow rapidly. One studied by pioneer botanist Sir William J. Hooker at Dalbeth, Scotland in 1810 grew to a circumference of Template:Cvt and a weight of Template:Cvt in four weeks.[8]
Similar species
In Polyporus tuberaster, the cap is rounder and the stipe more central, with the scales only dark at the tip.[6]
Distribution and habitat
This organism is common and widespread, being found east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States (April–October)[6] and over much of Europe (July–November).[7] It is also found in Asia and Australia. It commonly fruits in the spring, occasionally during autumn, and rarely during other seasons. Many mushroom hunters will stumble upon substantially sized mushroom this when looking for morels during the spring as both have similar fruiting times.[9]
The species plays an important role in woodland ecosystems by decomposing wood, usually elm or maple,[5] but is occasionally a parasite on living trees. Other tree hosts include ash, beech, horse-chestnut, Persian walnut, lime, maple, plane, poplar, magnolia, and willow.[10]
Uses
The species is edible when young[11] and cooked.[7] Specimens can become infested with maggots and become firm, rubbery and inedible as they mature. Cookbooks dealing with preparation generally recommend gathering these while young, slicing them into small pieces and cooking them over a low heat.
Some people value the thick, stiff paper that can be made from this and many other mushrooms of the genus Cerioporus.
Gallery
- Polyporus squamosus
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Forming "shelves" on the side of a tree
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Growing on ground
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Shelf growing on tree
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Bird's eye view of shelf
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Growing on an elder (Sambucus nigra) in Scotland
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Pores
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Secretion
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Close-up of secretion
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References
External links
- Mushroom-Collecting.com: Polyporus squamosus – Dryad's Saddle
- Mushroom-Collecting.com: Dryad's Saddle, Pheasant Back Mushroom, Hawks Wing (Polyporus squamosus)
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