About this fungus
Oak Mazegill is a fungus in the Fomitopsidaceae family. Its habitat and field characteristics are summarised below.
A substantial, pale brown oak bracket whose underside looks like a deep labyrinth rather than a field of round pores.
What to check
Confirm dead oak or other hardwood, a thick corky fruit body and deep radial slots that join into a maze. The fertile surface does not have true blade-like gills.
Variation
Brackets range from shelf-like to hoof-shaped and darken with age. Old fruit bodies can persist and become weathered or algae-stained.
Lookalikes
Daedaleopsis confragosa has smaller variable pores and often bruises pink-brown. Lenzites betulina is thinner and has true gill-like plates. Trametes species have much finer pores.
Habitat and range
A white-rot decomposer strongly associated with dead oak in temperate regions. It can also occur on sweet chestnut and occasionally other hardwood timber.
Food safety
Inedible.
Species to compare
Similar mushrooms to compare against: