Scientific name: Meripilus sumstinei (Murrill) M. J.
Larsen and Lombard
Derivation of name: Meri- means "part" or "division"
and pil- means "cap." The genus name may refer to the
structure of the fungus having numerous caps fanning out
and dividing from a common base.
sumstinei honors David
Ross Sumstine (1870-1965), a Pennsylvania public
school administrator, Lutheran minister, and amateur
mycologist.
Synonymy: Meripilus giganteus (Pers.) P. Karst.,
Polyporus
giganteus Fr.
Common names: Black-staining polypore.
Phylum: Basidiomycota
Order: Polyporales
Family: Meripilaceae
Occurrence on wood substrate: Parasitic and saprobic; on
ground (from
roots) around stumps or living deciduous trees,
especially
oak; July through November.
Dimensions: Individual caps (fronds) 5-20 cm wide, forming
large
dense clusters attached to a short, thick common stalk;
stalks
(when present) 1-3 cm long and up to 11 cm thick.
Upper surface: Grayish to yellowish-tan, becoming smoky
and dark with age; radially wrinkled; finely hairy; bruising
black along the margins where handled or in age.
Pore surface: White; bruising black; pores 4-7 per mm.
Edibility: Edible.
Comments: Clusters of Meripilus sumstinei may attain
diameters of 40 cm or more.
More information at MushroomExpert.com:
![](../images/M%20sumstinei%20Tom%20Schulein.jpg)
Figure 1. Terestrial rosette of
Meripilus sumstinei at the
base of a tree trunk.
Photo
© Tom Schulein.
![](../images/M%20sumstinei%20around%20oak%20GE.jpg)
Figure 2. The many dead roots associated with this large
oak tree stump may continue supporting the growth of
numbers of specimens of Meripilus sumstinei for many
years. Photo © Gary Emberger.
![](../images/M%20sumstinei%20single%20cluster%20on%20oak%20GE.jpg)
Figure 3. Black-staining polypore may be saprophytic,
living on dead wood
(this view) or parasitic (see Figure
5). Photo © Gary Emberger.
Figure
4. The white pore surface visible under one frond
contrasts nicely with the
darker colors of the upper cap
surface. Photo © Cathy Cholmeley-Jones.
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![](../images/M%20sumstinei%20infected%20tree%20GE.jpg)
Figure 5. The rosettes in the foreground, parasitizing
the roots, are some distance from the trunk of the
host tree. Photo © Gary Emberger.
![](../images/M%20sumstinei%20GE.jpg)
Figure 6. Note the blackish bruising on some of the fronds
(caps) of this specimen. Photo © Gary Emberger.
![](../images/M%20sumstinei%20table%20speciemn%20GE.jpg)
Figure 7. A specimen collected at a NEMF foray. Older
specimens become darker with age. Photo © Gary
Emberger.
![](../images/M%20sumstinei%20top%20NEMF%202005.jpg)
Figure 8. The cap surfaces turn black where touched.
Photo © Gary Emberger.
![](../images/M%20sumstinei%20pores%20NEMF%202005.jpg)
Figure 9. The pores of Black-staining polypore are very
small, giving the pore surface a uniformly white, almost
"pore-less" appearance. Where touched, the pores stain
black. Photo © Gary Emberger.
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