Meripilus giganteus

Meripilus giganteus
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Fungi
Division:	Basidiomycota
Class:	Agaricomycetes
Order:	Polyporales
Family:	Meripilaceae
Genus:	Meripilus
Species:	M. giganteus
Binomial name
Meripilus giganteus (Pers.) Karst. (1882)
Synonyms
Boletus giganteus Pers. (1794)

Species of fungus

Meripilus giganteus Mycological characteristics
	Pores on hymenium
	Cap is offset or indistinct
	Hymenium is decurrent
	Lacks a stipe
	Spore print is white
	Ecology is saprotrophic
	Edibility is edible

Meripilus giganteus is a polypore fungus in the family Meripilaceae. It causes a white rot in various types of broadleaved trees, particularly beech (Fagus), but also Abies, Picea, Pinus, Quercus and Ulmus species. This bracket fungus, commonly known as the giant polypore or black-staining polypore, is often found in large clumps at the base of trees, although fruiting bodies are sometimes found some distance away from the trunk, parasitizing the roots. M. giganteus has a circumboreal distribution in the northern Hemisphere, and is widely distributed in Europe. In the field, it is recognizable by the large, multi-capped fruiting body, as well as its pore surface that quickly darkens black when bruised or injured.