Basidiomes perennial, sessile to applanate brackets 5 – 20 cm wide, stacked in imbricate tiers on dead hardwood. Upper surface zonate cream-white to tan with concentric ridges and velvety tomentum, turning green with algal growth in age. Context corky, 3–8 mm thick, white; no distinct black line. Hymenophore white to pale buff with a maze-like (daedaloid) tube layer—pores elongated, sinuous, 1–3 mm wide, often radially aligned. Margin thin, wavy, sterile. Basidiospores cylindrical, hyaline, smooth, 5–6 × 1.5–2 µm. Emits faint mushroom–sweet odour when fresh; becomes tough and lightweight on drying.
5–20 cm (W) × 3–8 cm (D) × 0.5–1 cm (T)
30–150 g per bracket
Individual brackets persist 1–3 yr; layers added annually
Not enough data
Not enough data
Can produce new growth year-round in humid tropics; peak fruiting late wet season (Sep – Nov)
Basidiomes perennial, sessile to applanate brackets 5 – 20 cm wide, stacked in imbricate tiers on dead hardwood. Upper surface zonate cream-white to tan with concentric ridges and velvety tomentum, turning green with algal growth in age. Context corky, 3–8 mm thick, white; no distinct black line. Hymenophore white to pale buff with a maze-like (daedaloid) tube layer—pores elongated, sinuous, 1–3 mm wide, often radially aligned. Margin thin, wavy, sterile. Basidiospores cylindrical, hyaline, smooth, 5–6 × 1.5–2 µm. Emits faint mushroom–sweet odour when fresh; becomes tough and lightweight on drying.
Saprotrophic on well-decayed logs, stumps and fallen branches of broad-leaf trees (e.g., Dipteryx, Virola, Inga) in lowland to premontane rain forest (0–1 200 m) on both Pacific and Caribbean slopes; favours humid riparian corridors and old secondary forest.
Primary white-rot decomposer, breaking down lignin and cellulose, releasing organic nutrients and creating cavities used by insects.
Fruiting Behaviour
Brackets enlarge slowly, adding new pore layer rings each wet season.
Produce aromatic aldehydes that deter wood-boring beetle larvae until sporulation complete.
Maze-like pore layer significantly increases surface area, enhancing spore output versus round pores.
Ethanol extracts show potent antioxidant & anti-biofilm activity in in-vitro assays (UCR, 2023).
Frequently colonised by luminous fungus gnat larvae; at night brackets appear faintly glowing.
Acts as “habitat engineer”: heart-rotted logs excavated by Trametes become refuges for poison-dart frogs (Oophaga pumilio).
Traditional Cabécar practice uses dried brackets as natural tinder that smolders slowly even in damp forest.
Native
Decreasing
