''Rhodofomes roseus'' is a species of pink

polypore Polypores are a group of fungi that form large fruiting bodies with pores or tubes on the underside (see Delimitation for exceptions). They are a morphological group of basidiomycetes-like gilled mushrooms and hydnoid fungi, and not all polypor ...

found in western North America and Europe. This is a close relative of another species of pink conk, the rosy conk ('' Rhodofomes cajanderi).'' While ''R. cajanderi'' is a plant pathogen, ''R. rosea'' is a

detritivore Detritivores (also known as detrivores, detritophages, detritus feeders, or detritus eaters) are heterotrophs that obtain nutrients by consuming detritus (decomposing plant and animal parts as well as feces). There are many kinds of invertebrates, ...

Habitat

''Rhodofomes roseus'' grows in western North America, most often in spruce forests. Specimens from Vancouver Island, Prince George, and Wells Gray Park have helped characterize the species. This conk grows exclusively on dead wood, with a preference for logs of ''

Picea A spruce is a tree of the genus ''Picea'' (), a genus of about 35 species of coniferous evergreen trees in the family Pinaceae, found in the northern temperate and boreal (taiga) regions of the Earth. ''Picea'' is the sole genus in the subfami ...

'', ''

Pseudotsuga ''Pseudotsuga'' is a genus of evergreen coniferous trees in the family Pinaceae (subfamily Laricoideae). Common names for species in the genus include Douglas fir, Douglas-fir, Douglas tree, Oregon pine and Bigcone spruce. '' Pseudotsuga menz ...

''. or ''

Populus ''Populus'' is a genus of 25–30 species of deciduous flowering plants in the family Salicaceae, native to most of the Northern Hemisphere. English names variously applied to different species include poplar (), aspen, and cottonwood. The we ...

'' species. It causes a brown cubical rot.

Identification

''Rhodofomes roseus'' is a

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

fungus. It is

sessile Sessility, or sessile, may refer to: * Sessility (motility), organisms which are not able to move about * Sessility (botany), flowers or leaves that grow directly from the stem or peduncle of a plant * Sessility (medicine), tumors and polyps that ...

, meaning it sticks out from the wood it grows on. It often grows in a hoof or fan shape, with a smooth surface. The top of the conk can be a pale pink fading to a grey or brown colour, while the bottom is a pale pink. The inside of the conk, known as the context, is fibrous and woody, and may have layers of brown or pink colour. It has round pores, with 3-5 pores per millimeter. ''Rhodofomes roseus'' is thicker than its close relative, ''Rhodofomes cajanderi''

References

Fungal plant pathogens and diseases rosea Fungi described in 1805 Fungus species {{plant-disease-stub