Fauna
Fungus

Oxyporus populinus

Oxyporus populinus

Also known as Mossy Maple Polypore, Poplar Bracket

Mossy maple polypores produce tough, perennial bracket brackets that frequently become encrusted with mosses and green algae as they age. They thrive as white-rot wound pathogens on hardwood trunks, especially in branch scars or hollow crotches of maples and poplars. Over successive growing seasons, they deposit distinct vertical layers of pore tubes, persisting on the tree long after heartwood decay sets in.

PolyporeWood-DecayingPerennial
Oxyporus populinus reference
Joseph O'Brien, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org / Public domain · cc0
—observations
—countries
—peak records
Not EvaluatedConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXNot Evaluated — not placed on the risk ladderRed List categories, explained →
Key facts
Diet & preyWood Lignin, Hardwood Cellulose
Predators
  • Fungus Gnats
  • Beetle Larvae
  • Slugs
ThreatsForest clearance and loss of mature hardwood host trees
HabitatsTemperate deciduous and mixed forests on hardwood trunks
Life spanPerennial fruiting bodies persist 5–15 years
Classification
  1. OrderHymenochaetales
  2. FamilyOxyporaceae
  3. GenusOxyporus
  4. SpeciesOxyporus populinus
Range & activity
Range data is not available yet.
Safe observation
Interaction riskLow
  1. Low
  2. Moderate
  3. High
  4. Very high
Why interaction risk is low
Many edible mushrooms have toxic look-alikes; never eat wild fungi based on app identification alone.
Responsible observation
  • Look up trunks: Search for whitish brackets growing inside sheltered branch hollows.
  • Inspect the cap surface: Check for vivid coatings of green moss covering the upper crust.
Related species
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