Fungus
Dryad's Saddle
Cerioporus squamosusAlso known as Pheasant's Back Mushroom, Pheasant Back, Dryad's Saddle Bracket
Dryad's Saddle fruits prominently in spring and early summer, forming large, fan-shaped brackets on living or dead hardwood trees across North America and Eurasia. Upper cap surfaces sport dramatic concentric rings of dark, feathery scales that resemble the plumage of a pheasant. Beneath the cap, a pale pore surface releases spores while the fungal body breaks down lignin and cellulose inside the host wood.
Bracket FungusWood-DecaySpring Emerging
—observations
—countries
—peak records
Not EvaluatedConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXNot Evaluated — not placed on the risk ladderRed List categories, explained →
Diet & preyLignin and cellulose decomposer (white rot)
Predators
- Beetles
- Fungus Gnats
- Slugs
ThreatsForest clearing and removal of decaying wood
HabitatsDeciduous forests, river valleys, and urban parks
Life spanFruiting bodies persist for weeks; mycelium lives for years
Classification
- OrderPolyporales
- FamilyPolyporaceae
- GenusCerioporus
- SpeciesCerioporus squamosus
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Many wild mushrooms have toxic look-alikes; never eat wild fungi based on app identification alone.
Responsible observation
- Examine the underside: Look for large, hexagonal pores rather than true gills underneath the shelf.
- Look near hardwoods: Search trunks and stumps of elm, maple, beech, and poplar trees in springtime.
- Note the aroma: Fresh specimens emit a distinctive scent reminiscent of fresh watermelon rind or cucumber.
Co-Occurring Polypore (c) Jamie Griffiths, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Jamie Griffiths · cc-by
Wood-Decaying Neighbor Rror / CC BY-SA 3.0 · cc-by-sa
Close Relative (c) Peter Nathaniel Boyer, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Peter Nathaniel Boyer · cc-by
Close Relative (c) Jason Hollinger, some rights reserved (CC BY) · cc-by
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