Stats

Lifespan: Annual
Size: Large
Diet: Decomposer
Biome: Temperate forest
Range: North America
Movement: Sessile
Breeding: Spores
Defense: Armor
Status: Common

About

This shelf fungus grows on the trunks of decaying hardwood trees in North America. It releases millions of microscopic brown spores that coat the forest floor in dust.

Life cycle

1.
spore
A microscopic spore drifts on air or water and germinates where moisture and substrate meet.
2.
mycelium
A thread-like mycelium spreads through the substrate, breaking it down into nutrients.
3.
fruiting body
A mature fruiting body emerges to release the next generation of spores.

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Taxonomy

Kingdom: Fungi
Phylum: Basidiomycota
Class: Agaricomycetes
Order: Polyporales
Family: Polyporaceae
Genus: Ganoderma
Species: Ganoderma sessile