Bacon of the Woods

(Xylobolus subpileatus)

Conservation Status

IUCN Red List

not listed

NatureServe

NNR - Unranked

Minnesota

not listed

 
Bacon of the Woods
Photo by Luciearl
 
Description

Bacon of the Woods is a common, widespread, wood decaying, bracket fungus. It occurs worldwide on every continent except Antarctica. It is rare in most of those areas, but it is quite common in eastern North America. In the United States it occurs from Maine to Florida, west to Minnesota and eastern Texas. It is uncommon in Minnesota.

Bacon of the Woods is found in deciduous and mixed forests. It grows on fallen hardwood trees, especially oak, and especially on fallen logs and stumps that are long dead and well decayed. It is saprobic, obtaining its nutrients from dead wood. It causes white rot, creating a honeycomb pattern of decay in the wood.

Bacon of the Woods is a highly variable fungus. It can occur as a white crust, appearing as if spray painted on a log (crusticose). It can occur as a plaque, closely appressed to the surface with only a small margin extending to form a rudimentary cap (effuse-reflexed). Or it can occur shelf-like, attached at one side directly to the substrate with no stalk (bracket). Adjacent brackets sometimes fuse together creating a long, strap-like shelf.

The bracket is thin, semicircular or fan shaped, ¾ to 8 (2 to 20 cm) wide, and to 1 (1.0 to 3.5 cm) deep. When young, the texture is leathery, and the upper surface is densely covered with felty or matted woolly hair. As it ages, the hair gradually wears away. Older specimens are hard and hairless. The upper surface is concentrically zoned with ridges and varying shades of light brown, brown, dark brown, and reddish brown. The margin is light brown to brown, and it can be either flat or wavy. The underside (pore surface) is smooth and grayish orange, pale gray, or light brown when young. As it ages, it becomes bumpy, somewhat wrinkled, often concentrically ridged, and cracked. The margin is white. The pores are pale to dark brown, thin to thick walled, and up to (3 mm) deep.

The flesh is edible but leathery or hard.

 

Similar Species

 
Habitat and Hosts

Deciduous and mixed forests. Mostly oaks, but also other hardwoods.

Ecology

Season

 

Distribution

Distribution Map

 

Sources

24, 26, 29, 30, 77.

1/1/2025    
     

Occurrence

Uncommon in Minnesota

Taxonomy

Kingdom

Fungi (fungi)

Subkingdom

Dikarya

Division

Basidiomycota (club fungi)

Subdivision

Agaricomycotina (jelly fungi, yeasts, and mushrooms)

Class

Agaricomycetes (mushrooms, bracket fungi, puffballs, and allies)

Subclass

Agaricomycetidae

Order

Russulales

Family

Stereaceae

Genus

Xylobolus

 

 

Subordinate Taxa

 

   

Synonyms

Hymenochaete tjibodensis

Lloydella sepia

Lloydella sepiacea

Lloydella subpileata

Stereum frustulatum ssp. subpileatum

Stereum frustulatum var. subpileatum

Stereum insigne

Stereum scytale

Stereum sepiaceum

Stereum sepium

Stereum subpileatum

 

   

Common Names

Bacon of the Woods

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Glossary

Saprobic

A term often used for saprotrophic fungi. Referring to fungi that obtain their nutrients from decayed organic matter.

 

 

 

 

 

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Luciearl

Lichen on downed tree.  

 

Bacon of the Woods   Bacon of the Woods
MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos
 
   

 

   

 

 

Camera

Slideshows

Xylobolus subpileatus (Berk. & M.A. Curtis) Boidin
Tyus Ma

Xylobolus subpileatus (Berk. & M.A. Curtis) Boidin
About

Trichosanthes subtilis
Other common names: Xylella subgeans

 

slideshow

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Luciearl
10/27/2024

Location: Fairview Twp.

Lichen on downed tree.

Bacon of the Woods
MinnesotaSeasons.com Sightings

 

 

 

Binoculars

 

Created: 1/1/2025

Last Updated:

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