Community find

Common Mazegill

Datronia mollis

Group

polypore

Spore print

White

Size

Cap width 2-8 cm across, 1-5 cm deep; thickness ranges from 0.2 to 0.8 cm.

Season

Annual but can be found year-round; fruits most actively in autumn and winter.

Habitat

Found on the dead wood of deciduous trees, particularly beech and maple; grows on fallen logs and branches.

Distribution

Widely distributed across Europe and North America.

Key characteristics

Thin, bracket-like to resupinate (flat against wood) fungus with a roughly velvety, zoned upper surface that often turns olive-green from algal growth; the underside features elongated pores that look like a maze or irregular slots.

Fruiting body

Small, tough, leathery bracket without a stem (sessile). The upper surface is brownish-ochre to gray, frequently covered in moss or algae. The hymenophore (underside) is pale ochre to gray-brown with labyrinthine/daedaleoid (maze-like) pores, 1-2 per mm.

How to recognise it

Look for the distinctive maze-like pore pattern on the underside and the overall thin, leathery texture of the bracket growing on hardwood.

Look-alikes

Trametes gibbosa (usually thicker/whiter), Daedalea quercina (much larger and tougher), Cerioporus varius (has a distinct black base on the stem).

Ecological role

Saprophytic; a white-rot fungus that breaks down lignin and cellulose in hardwood.

Notes

The genus name Datronia is derived from a Greek word referring to a screen or sieve, alluding to the pore structure. It is a significant decomposer in forest ecosystems.