Red-belted Bracket

Fomitopsis

The Red-belted Bracket is a bright red fungus that grows on trees. It has a beautiful belt of color and is fun to spot in the woods!

Habitat: On decaying trees in forests

Appearance

The Red-belted Bracket is a shelf-like fungus with a distinctive red or orange band near its growing edge. Its upper surface ranges from grey to brown, often with concentric growth rings, while the underside is a smooth, creamy white.

KingdomFungiPhylumBasidiomycotaClassAgaricomycetesOrderPolyporalesFamilyFomitopsidaceaeGenusFomitopsis

Red-belted Bracket

Interesting facts

If you cut it open, you can see rings, just like a tree, showing its age!

It feels like a piece of wood, not a soft mushroom, because it's so tough!

Some people once used dried pieces of this fungus to sharpen their tools!

This fungus creates thousands of tiny spores from its smooth white underside every day!

Special abilities

Red-belted Bracket can break down tough dead wood, helping recycle nutrients back into the forest soil.

Red-belted Bracket has a unique ability to grow new layers each year, allowing it to live for decades.

Red-belted Bracket has a very hard, woody texture that protects it from many hungry creatures.

Measurements & details

Height: 3-15 cm
Edibility: inedible
Cap Diameter: 10-40 cm
Growth Substrate: wood
Season: Year-round
Spore Color: White

Ecological connections

parasitizes

Sitka Spruce

Picea sitchensis

causes brown heart rot in living trees

parasitizes

Paper Birch

Betula papyrifera

infects weakened or injured hardwoods

eats

Polypore Beetle

Cis boleti

larvae and adults feed on the fungus

Traits

Spore Producing

Discover how some plants and fungi create tiny little "seeds" called spores to help them grow new life! These tiny particles drift in the air, spreading new generations far and wide.

Forest

These lush habitats are filled with countless trees, offering homes to a huge variety of plants and animals! Immerse yourself in the green canopy.

Longevous

Marvel at organisms that have an incredible capacity to live for a very, very long time, sometimes spanning centuries or even millennia. They are the elders of the natural world!