The
Polyporaceae are a
family of
bracket fungi belonging to the
Basidiomycota. The flesh of their
fruiting bodies varies from soft (as in the case of the Dryad's Saddle illustrated) to very tough. Most members of this family have their
hymenium (fertile layer) in vertical pores on the underside of the caps, but some of them have gills (e.g.
Panus) or gill-like structures (such as
Daedaleopsis, whose elongated pores form a corky labyrinth). Many species are brackets, but others have a definite
stipe - for example:
Polyporus badius.
