Steccherinum ochraceum

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Ecology: Saprobic on the deadwood of hardwoods and, rarely, conifers; growing alone or gregariously on sticks, logs, or stumps; causing a white rot; late spring through fall (or over winter in warmer climates); widely distributed in North America, but more common east of the Rocky Mountains.

Fruiting Body: Variable; usually a patch of densely packed spines up to about 3 cm across, with folded-over edges (especially when growing on logs and sticks)--but sometimes with a well defined cap and even, at times, a stem (especially when growing on stumps).

Upper Surface: When present grooved and hairy to velvety; with more or less concentric zones of color and texture; grayish to brownish or whitish; margin white, scalloped.

Undersurface: Composed of densely packed spines up to 3 mm long; orange, fading to yellowish or brownish when old; drying to dull salmon in herbarium specimens.

Stem: When present up to 8 mm long and 2 mm wide; colored like the upper surface.

Flesh: Tough; leathery; whitish.

Odor and Taste: Not distinctive.

Chemical Reactions: KOH negative on all surfaces.

Spore Print: Undocumented, but probably white.

Microscopic Features: Spores 3.5-5 x 2-2.5 ; smooth; ellipsoid; inamyloid; hyaline in KOH. Skeletocystidia cylindric to subfusiform; 4-10 wide; arising from the spine trama and usually projecting beyond the basidia; thick-walled; usually substantially encrusted. Context dimitic.

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