polypore

[prettygoodword]

polypore (POL-ee-pohr) - n., any of a group of tough, woody poroid mushrooms, usually lacking a stalk and growing on trees.


These guys:


Thanks, WikiMedia!

Also called shelf fungus or bracket fungus. There are over a thousand named species, but almost certainly there are many more as they are ALL OVER any kind of forested area -- they're a big part of the wood decay process. Named because they release their spores through numerous (poly-) pores, rather than off gills or other bodies.

---L.