Stats

Lifespan

Annual

Size

Small

Diet

Decomposer

Biome

Temperate forest

Range

Worldwide

Movement

Sessile

Breeding

Spores

Defense

Toxins

Status

Common

About

This crust fungus grows in overlapping white layers on dead wood in temperate forests. Its surface can shift between smooth pores and hundreds of tiny, dangling tooth-like spikes.

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

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Taxonomy

Kingdom

Fungi

Phylum

Basidiomycota

Class

Agaricomycetes

Order

Polyporales

Family

Irpicaceae

Genus

Irpex

Species

Irpex lacteus