Fistulina hepatica Beefsteak Fungus
Found on living Sweet Chestnut but can occur on oak. This fresh pink annual poroid bracket is frequently described as tongue-like, varying in size from 50-200mm across. The upper surface is soft with minute bumps reminiscent of hair follicles. Changing hue with age to become rust-brown, tacky when damp, wide shallow furrows appear on both upper and lower surfaces.
The underside is initially whitish, the pores are circular with an average spacing of 2-3/mm. The tubes are yellowish-white and can be separated one from the other like straws when the fruit body is more mature than that featured here.
The flesh is white to pinkish buff when first cut but it darkens to become meat like red-brown with veining. If the cut specimen fails to bleed a blood like juice, the addition of a small amount of water will give the flesh a raw liver like appearance in a pool of red liquid. The spore print is off white, the spores being smooth, sub-spherical or ovoid, they fail to react in the presence of iodine and contain a single droplet.
This species has been found at Heath Warren & Bramshill Plantation