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Bracket fungus facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Stumpfungus
Trametes versicolor, a colorful bracket fungus on a South Carolina stump
Fungi bracket reduced
A bracket fungus (Pycnoporus sp.) with a tough, woody cap

Bracket fungi, or shelf fungi, are among the many groups of fungi in the phylum Basidiomycota.

They produce shelf- or bracket-shaped fruiting bodies called conks. These lie in a close group of horizontal rows. Brackets can range from only a single row of a few caps, to dozens of rows of caps that can weigh several hundred pounds. They are mainly found on trees (living and dead) and woody debris. Some form annual fruiting bodies while others are perennial and grow larger year after year. Bracket fungi are usually tough and sturdy. Their spores, called basidiospores, are in pores on the undersurface.

Yellow bracket fungus
Yellow bracket fungus

Images for kids

  • Fungi in Borneo

    Polypores (Ganoderma sp.) growing on a tree in Borneo

  • Daedaleopsis confragrosa Eglinton

    The blushing bracket showing the red bruising, which is one identification characteristic

  • Laetiporus sulphureus, Yellow mushroom on old oak tree1

    Laetiporus sulphureus

  • Irpex lacteus2

    Irpex lacteus with irregular pores

  • Elmerina holophaea

    Elmerina holophaea, a polypore with gills

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Polypore para niños

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Bracket fungus Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.