Stats

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

About

This fungus grows in massive, overlapping clusters around the base of oak trees. Its white flesh turns pitch black within minutes of being bruised or cut.

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: Meripilaceae
Genus: Meripilus
Species: Meripilus sumstinei