Plate 091 · on a fallen branch IdentificationFive marks on the plate
- 1Orange-red upper surface, smooth to faintly zoned.
- 2Tiny deep red pores, 5 to 6 per mm.
- 3Attached at the side, without a stalk or with a very short one.
- 4Thin orange flesh, only a few millimetres thick.
- 5On dead wood of broadleaf trees, in full sun.
Easily confused with Cinnabar polyporePycnoporus cinnabarinusThicker bracket with larger pores, 2 to 4 per mm. 091 / 100 · FUNGI & LICHENS · POLYPORACEAENOT EVALUATED Cinnabar bracket
Pycnoporus sanguineus
Yesquero rojo · Blood-red bracket
It is the most often seen bracket fungus in the Tucumán forest. Its vivid orange stands out from afar on dead branches in the sun, along tracks and in clearings. The colour comes from a pigment called cinnabarin.
- Cap
- thin, fan-shaped
- Altitude
- c. 400 – 1,600 m
- Pores
- 5 – 6 per mm
- Synonym
- Trametes sanguinea
- White rot
- Dead wood
- Sunny spots
- Year-round
Altitude rangeLowland and lower montane forest
Foothill and lower montane forest Common in the foothills and lower montane forest, above all in open and disturbed sites. It is scarcer in the high cloud forest.
EcologyRecycles wood in the sun
- Dead branches and logsBroadleaf trees · substrate
- Plenty of lightClearings, edges, tracks
- White rotBreaks down lignin
- BeetlesFeed and breed in the bracket
By rotting the lignin it leaves the wood white and soft, ready for other organisms. It is studied for treating effluents and removing dyes.
Life cycleHidden mycelium, visible bracket
J F M A M J J A S O N D Fresh fruit bodies with the rainsPersist, dried - Lives inside the wood. The mycelium spreads through the dead branch for months before it fruits.
- Fruits with the rains. New brightly coloured brackets appear in the wet summer.
- Spores from the pores. The tubes underneath release white spores carried by the wind. The dry bracket lasts for many months.
Where to look in Tucumán- Sierra de San Javier
- Reserva Experimental Horco Molle
- Parque Provincial La Florida
- Quebrada de Lules
- Río Los Sosa