Coltricia cinnamomea
Description
Coltricia cinnamomea, a unique little polypore in the Hymenochaetaceae family, often graces the forest floor in the San Francisco Bay area, especially under the shelter of Monterey pines 🌲. Its elegant vase shape and warm, cinnamon-brown color make it easy to spot along woodland trails, where it frequently grows among moss. Here’s what makes this fungus a true woodland gem:
🔑 Key Features:
Cap: Thin, leathery, and round, with faintly-zoned concentric bands of cinnamon brown to rusty yellow 🌞. Its silky, appressed fibrils give it a glistening appearance in certain lights ✨.
Stem: A rare feature for a polypore! This central stem adds to its vase-like elegance.
Surface: Shiny and slightly zoned, adding a polished look, unlike its look-alike, Coltricia perennis, which has a more muted, matted surface and thrives in Sierra Nevada.
Flesh: Tough, leathery, and instantly turning black with KOH application—a trait unique to this genus!
🏞️ Habitat: This terrestrial polypore loves compacted trails and forest floors 🌲. It forms mycorrhizal relationships with hardwoods, enriching its forest home.
Common Names: Fairy Stool, Shiny Cinnamon Polypore
Uses
Medicinal Properties: Coltricia cinnamomea isn’t just a looker—it may offer health benefits. Polysaccharides from its mycelium have shown promising antitumor effects, inhibiting cancer growth in certain studies by up to 100%!
Dye Potential: Dried C. cinnamomea can be used as a natural fiber dye, producing a warm brown-beige hue 🎨.
Edibility: This mushroom is inedible due to its tough, leathery texture.
Craft Use: Once dried, it retains its charming shape, making it ideal for rustic décor arrangements that mushroom enthusiasts might appreciate.
Mushroom Identification
🎩 Cap:
Size: 0.39 to 1.97 inches (1 to 5 cm) wide.
Shape: Vase-like or flat, with edges that may turn wavy or erode over time.
Texture: Silky-shiny with concentric cinnamon to chestnut brown bands
🟠 Pore Surface:
Color: Cinnamon brown to yellowish brow
Structure: Angular to circular pores (2-3 per mm), shallow tubes sometimes descending slightly on the stem
📏 Stem:
Size: 0.39 to 1.97 inches (1 to 5 cm) tall, 1-4 mm thic
Texture: Velvety and tough, rusty to cinnamon brown, with a slight enlargement at the base
🍂 Flesh:
Color: Rusty brown to orang
Thickness: Thin and leathery; turns black instantly with KOH
🌾 Spore Print: Yellowish-brown
🔬 Microscopic Features: Spores: Smooth, elliptical, slightly bean-shaped (6-10 x 4.5-7 µm), weakly dextrinoid in Melzer's reagent
👃 Odor & Taste: Neutral odor and mildly leathery taste.
🌍 Habitat: Thriving from summer to autumn, Coltricia cinnamomea grows alone or in small groups, adding a hint of cinnamon color to forests in North America and Europe. Found across North America and Europe, Coltricia cinnamomea is typically mycorrhizal with hardwoods but may also act saprobically. It prefers packed soil along forest paths and roadways, thriving in mixed and conifer forests.
👀 Look-Alikes: Coltricia perennis has a similar appearance but with a more zoned cap, matted-tomentose surface, and duller colors. It often grows in burn sites or conifer woods.
Video
Synonyms
Boletus cinnamomeus Jacq., 1786
Strilia cinnamomea (Jacq.) Gray, 1821
Polyporus cinnamomeus (Jacq.) Pers., 1825
Polystictus cinnamomeus (Jacq.) Sacc., 1888
Pelloporus cinnamomeus (Jacq.) Quél., 1888
Pelloporus fimbriatus var. cinnamomeus (Jacq.) Quél., 1888
Microporus cinnamomeus (Jacq.) Kuntze, 1898
Xanthochrous cinnamomeus (Jacq.) Pat., 1900
Polystictus perennis f. cinnamomeus (Jacq.) Pilát, 1940
Polyporus parvulus Klotzsch, 1833
Polyporus cladonia Berk., 1845
Polyporus oblectans Berk., 1845
Polyporus bulbipes Fr., 1847
Polyporus splendens Peck, 1873
Polyporus casimirii Velen., 1922
Polyporus baudysii Kavina, 1922
Polyporus casimiri Velen., 1922
Polystictus perennis f. casimirii (Velen.) Pilát, 1942
Coltricia perennis f. casimirii (Velen.) Bondartsev, 1953
Photo copyright:
All photos were taken by the Ultimate Mushroom team and can be used for your own purposes under the Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International license.