About this fungus
Big Smoky Bracket is a fungus in the Phanerochaetaceae family. Its habitat and field characteristics are summarised below.
Broad, thick buff brackets with a pale smoky pore surface beneath.
What to check
Cut a bracket and look for thick pale flesh, a distinct dark line above the tube layer and small round pores.
Variation
Young margins can be nearly white; older caps become buff, grey-brown or algae-stained.
Lookalikes
Bjerkandera adusta is normally thinner and has a darker grey pore layer. Trametes species lack the same smoky context line.
Habitat and range
A white-rot decomposer of broadleaf wood across temperate regions, often on willow and poplar.
Food safety
Inedible.
Photographs
Photo: Bubble-Enko · CC BY 4.0