Fomitopsis ochracea

Fomitopsis ochracea is a fungus that may be shaped like a hoof or flattened in a fan-like manner.^[1] It can grow quite large, up to 20 cm in width and 7 cm thick.^[1] The top surface of the fungus is smooth and may be coloured white, grey, brown, or black, with parallel lines.^[1] It can have black or brown spotting on the surface.^[2] The underside is a creamy-white, with even, round pores.^[1] It can also become orange with age.^[2] If broken open, the context will be woody with a creamy-white colour and no bands.^[1] There is no visible bruising upon breaking open the body.^[1] There are about 5-6 pores present per millimetre.^[1] It can have a faint sweet odour.^[2]

Historically, this fungus has been misidentified as F. pinicola. When both species are immature, they can look very similar, but can be distinguished by lighting a match next to the surface of the fungus.^[1] F. pinicola will boil and melt in heat, while F. ochracea will not.^[1] If this test is not available, a simple bruise test can distinguish the two. F. pinicola will bruise a yellow colour when broken open, while F. ochracea will not bruise at all.