Pycnoporus cinnabarinus

November 15, 2018

Pycnoporus cinnebarinus (Jacquin) Karsten (Basidiomycota, Polyporaceae) is very widespread in North America and most commonly found on dead hardwoods.

Pycnoporus cinnebarinus. Minute pore surface of Pycnoporus cinnebarinus (left) and the KOH reaction, resulting in a dark purple to gray discoloration (right). — Figure 1. Pycnoporus cinnebarinus (PLP847_2018_201). Minute pore surface of Pycnoporus cinnebarinus (left) and the KOH reaction, resulting in a dark purple to gray discoloration (right).

Pycnoporus cinnabarinus (Jacquin) Karsten

Taxonomy:

Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Basidiomycota
Class: Agaricomycetes
Order: Polyporales
Family: Polyporaceae
Genus: Pycnoporus
Species: P. cinnabarinus

Pycnoporus cinnebarinus (Jacquin) Karsten (Basidiomycota, Polyporaceae) is very widespread in North America and most commonly found on dead hardwoods. This fungus us a saprotroph and will cause a nice white rot on the dead trees which cross paths with it (figure 3).

Pycnoporus cinnebarinus is a bright orange fungus with an even brighter orange/red pore surface (figure 1). The undersurface of this fungus is covered with very minute pores which produce ellipsoidal shaped spores (figure 2). and which produce a white spore print (figure 2).

Pycnoporus cinnabarinus Figure 2 — Figure 2. Pycnoporus cinnebarinus (PLP847_2018_201) has a white spore print (seen faintly in the left and center pictures. Spores are thin and ellipsoidal in shape (right).

This fungus does not possess a stipe of any sort to speak of, but instead the cap simply grows out of the side of a downed tree trunk. The cap will react to KOH and change to a deep purple color, turning to a more grayish hue as time passes (figure 1).

Pycnoporus cinnabarinus Figure 3 — Figure 3. Pycnoporus cinnebarinus (PLP847_2018_201) environment photo showing the dead tree trunks these fungi were growing on.

References:

Kuo, M., & Methven, A. S. (2014). Mushrooms of the Midwest. University of Illinois Press.
Kuo, M. (2010, February). Pycnoporus cinnabarinus. Retrieved from the MushroomExpert.Com.
MycoBank Pyncoporus cinnebarinus, Web. 7, November, 2018.