Sheep polyporeAlbatrellus ovinus

The cap of the sheep polypore reaches 4 to 15, rarely up to 20 centimeters across. When young it is convex, becoming flat or funnel-shaped and depressed with age, often with a wavy margin. The surface is dry and smooth, whitish or cream in young mushrooms, turning yellowish-ochre or reddish with age and becoming covered with a network of cracks. The round, fleshy cap on a short stem makes it look like a ground-dwelling cap-and-stem mushroom rather than a polypore.

The hymenophore is tubular-porous, as in polypores, but fine. The pores are small, round or angular, running noticeably down the stem (decurrent), white or cream, turning yellowish or greenish-yellow with age and when damaged. The tubes are short. The spore print is white. The white, decurrent pore layer that turns yellow is a characteristic feature of the species.

The stem is short and thick, central or slightly off-center, 3 to 7 centimeters tall, whitish or cream, dense, often tapering downward, sometimes branched. Several stems may be fused at the base. There is no ring and no volva. The squat, sturdy stem supports the fleshy cap well.

The flesh is white, dense and fleshy; when cut and with age it may take on a yellowish or greenish-yellow tint. In young mushrooms the taste is mild, pleasant and nutty; in old ones it turns slightly bitter. Thanks to its density, the flesh holds its shape well; only young specimens are chosen for the table, and they are cooked thoroughly.

The smell is faint, pleasant, mushroomy, with no sharp notes. The aroma is not a defining feature, so identification relies on the whitish, fleshy cap growing on the ground, the fine decurrent pores that turn yellow, and growth in groups in conifer forest near spruce.