The gills are broad, distant, decurrent, straw-color.
The stem is stout, two to four inches long, hairy like the pileus.
The favorite host of this species is an apple tree. I found a beautiful cluster on an apple tree in Chillicothe. Its creamy whiteness and hairy cap and short hairy stem will distinguish it from all other tree fungi. It is edible when young, but soon becomes woody.
Panus conchatus. Fr.
The Shell Panus.
Conchatus means shell-shaped. The pileus is thin, unequal, tough, fleshy, eccentric, dimidiate; cinnamon, then pale; becoming scaly; flaccid; margin often lobed.
The gills are narrow, forming decurrent lines on the stem, often branched, pinkish, then ochre.
The stem is short, unequal, solid, rather pale, base downy.
This species will frequently be found imbricated and very generally confluent. Its shell-like form, its tough substance, and its thin pileus are its distinguishing marks. The taste is pleasant but its substance very tough. Found from September to frost.