Pycnoporus coccineus (POLYPORACEAE) Scarlet bracket fungus

Fungi

Bright red when fresh

This polypore is a common wood-decaying fungus, frequently seen on dead logs and smaller branches in habitats ranging from quite moist to almost desert. Although quite variable in size, it generally forms brackets to about 10cm by 5cm in size, and when fresh is bright red in colour (aging sometimes almost to a bleached white, especially in the open).

Photo: Robert Whyte