Bracket fungus: Encyclopedia - Bracket fungus

Bracket fungus

Bracket fungi, or shelf fungus, are fungi of the family Polyporaceae, notable for bearing fruiting bodies (conk) as or in a "bracket": a grouping of individual mushroom caps that lie in a close planar grouping of separate or interconnected horizontal rows. Brackets can range from only a single row of a few caps, to dozens of rows of caps that can weigh several hundred pounds. They are typically tough and sturdy and produce their spores on the tubes of the undersurface. Many types of bracket fungi are also polypores. Bracket fungus is cultivated for its nutritional values.

Examples of bracket fungi include the Oyster mushroom, Sulphur shelf, Birch Bracket, Turkey Tail, and the Beefsteak Fungus.

Category: Mushroom types

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Bracket fungus", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki