Stats

Lifespan

A few weeks

Size

Medium

Diet

Decomposer

Biome

Coniferous forest

Range

Worldwide

Movement

Sessile

Breeding

Spores

Defense

Camouflage

Status

Uncommon

About

This scaly mushroom grows directly from rotting timber in damp forest clearings. Its tough mycelium secretes enzymes that can dissolve solid railroad ties into soft pulp.

Life cycle

1. 1.
   spore

   A microscopic spore drifts on air or water and germinates where moisture and substrate meet.
2. 2.
   mycelium

   A thread-like mycelium spreads through the substrate, breaking it down into nutrients.
3. 3.
   fruiting body

   A mature fruiting body emerges to release the next generation of spores.

Learn more

• View on iNaturalist →

Taxonomy

Kingdom

Fungi

Phylum

Basidiomycota

Class

Agaricomycetes

Order

Gloeophyllales

Family

Gloeophyllaceae

Genus

Neolentinus

Species

Neolentinus lepideus