Fomitopsis pinicola

Fomitopsis pinicola (Sw.) P. Karst. syn. Polyporus pinicola (Sw.) Fr. (illustrated 35% life size) Fruit body 10–30×15–60cm across, 5–20cm thick, hoof-shaped; pallid, becoming straw-yellow and later reddish-brown; exuding clear droplets when fresh, glossy as if varnished, older parts covered in a hard, resinous skin. Flesh white to straw-yellow; corky to woody. Tubes 2–8mm long in each layer, cream to straw-yellow. Pores 3–4 per mm, circular; whitish, bruising or ageing cream to straw-yellow or apricot. Spores 6–18×3.5–4¼, cylindrical-elliptical. Habitat on conifers, less frequently on deciduous trees; perennial. Very rare in Britain, common in Europe. Not edible.