Stats

Lifespan

Annual

Size

Medium

Diet

Decomposer

Biome

Temperate forest

Range

North America

Movement

Sessile

Breeding

Spores

Defense

Armor

Status

Uncommon

About

This golden shelf fungus grows on decaying hardwood trees across the American Southeast. It releases over one billion microscopic spores from its underside during a single day.

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

Polyporaceae

Genus

Ganoderma

Species

Ganoderma curtisii