Daedalea quercina

Scientific name:   Daedalea quercina Fr.
Derivation of name:   Daedalea is derived from
Daidalos, builder of the labyrinth of the Minotaur in Crete,
in reference to the labyrinthiform pores of this fungus;
quercina refers to the oak (Quercus) genus.
Synonymy:  
Common names:   Thick-maze oak polypore.
Phylum:   Basidiomycota
Order:   Polyporales
Family:   Fomitopsidaceae
Occurrence on wood substrate: Saprobic; solitary to
several on decaying deciduous wood, particularly oak
(Quercus); year-round.  
Dimensions:  Caps 5-20 cm wide; up to 8 cm thick.   
Upper surface:  Grayish to brownish-yellow to brownish-
orange to brown to black; mostly smooth; not typically
zonate.
Pore surface: White to brownish; conspicuously mazelike,
with lamellate portions; pore walls often nearing 1 mm (or
more) thick with pore openings 1-4 mm wide.
Edibility: Inedible.
Comments: Compare to Daedaleopsis confragosa.


Figure 1. A detached specimen of Daedalea quercina
showing the smoothish cap with fairly uniform coloration.
Photo © Dianna Smith.


Figure 2. The underside of the specimen in Figure 1. The
maze-like (labyrinthine) pore surface is a striking feature of
Daedalea quercina. Photo © Dianna Smith.

Figure 3. Top surfaces of three herbarium specimens of
Daedalea quercina.

Figure 4. The pore surfaces of the three specimens of Figure 3.

Figure 5. On the left is Daedalea quercina and on the right is
Daedaleopsis confragosa. Top surfaces are above and pore
surfaces are below. Although both have a daedaloid pore
surface, the walls and pore openings are much more robust in
Daedalea quercina.

Figure 6. With the mm scale in view, note the width of the
spaces between the thick pore walls.