BASIDIOMYCETES: Aphyllophorales, Polyporaceae

Beefsteak Polypore, Fistulina hepatica

Basidiomycetes, order: Aphyllophorales, family: Polyporaceae

Width to 10"

The Beefsteak Polypore is a fleshy, meatlike semicircular lobe, to 2" thick, pink or reddish-orange to dark red, marked with darker red streaks. The stalk is very short and thick and emerges from one side, forming a kind of shelf for the fungus. Underneath, the tube surface is spongy, pale gray to reddish, and juicy. The Latin name hepatica means “liverlike” and describes its appearance. It releases a bloodlike juice when cut. Spore print is orange-pink. They are found growing on dead or living oaks or other hardwoods, mostly in eastern North America during the summer and fall. The mushroom is edible. Also known as Ox Tongue Fungus.