I’m not an expert on this black-stiped group of polypores, but I have realized that they are widely misunderstood. In my opinion, this observation fits well with the descriptions of Polyporus badius, with the paler and thinner margin. It is the only one in this group that lacks clamps, an important character that should be checked (but not easy to determine).

Nathan’s example shows what I’d guess is Polyporus melanopus, with a uniformly coloured cap and a fairly thick margin. The cap becomes wrinkled, and dried stems shrink considerably. Without that character, there are other possibilities, for example Polyporus tubaeformis, also uniformly reddish brown cap, but with a thinner cap margin, sometimes zonate (but I think that is a northern species).

Although there is NO substitute for a fungus in hand, sometimes pictures can match very well and still be (in)correct!?! Bernicchia has a beautiful color picture of P. badius that looks identical to photos 19384 & 19386. Bessette and Bessette has a photo with a large thick stipe that sure looks like these photos on MO. It would be nice to have herbaria material saved to go with the photos, but it would still take someone interested in this group to examine them and sort out the names. After going through Gilbertson a second time, I still arrive at the name Polyporus badius as the ‘best fit’.

Bernicchia, Annarosa. 2005. Polyporaceae s.l. Fungi Europaei Vol. 10. Edizioni Candusso, Alassio, Italy. 806p.
Bessette, Arleen R. and Alan E. Bessette. 2001. The Rainbow Beneath My Feet: A Mushroom Dyer’s Field Guide. Syracuse University Press, Syracuse, New York. 176p.
Gilbertson, R. L. and L. Ryvarden. 1986. North American Polypores Vol. 1. Fungiflora, Oslo, Norway. 433p.
Gilbertson, R. L. and L. Ryvarden. 1987. North American Polypores Vol. II. Fungiflora, Oslo, Norway. 885p.

Hi Nathan. the pic on your link looks different than what we call P. badius in the east. Ours is way thinner. I have some pix of eastern P badius at here. Someone needs to work on this.

By the time they are that big, they pretty much have to have a black stipe for me to call it P. badius. Here’s an example of what I would call P. badius. It would be interesting to see what the easterners apply this name to.

As I have traveled in the West, I see people calling a fungus Polyporus badius, which is clearly not the same fungus we call P badius in the east. I think someone probably needs to work on this. This specimen doesn’t look like our typical eastern P. badius— the stalk appears much too large and the flesh much too thick. Maybe it’s just young though.

FYI spore prints on polypores almost never work. Unlike gilled mushrooms, the sporulation period for polypores may last for the whole growing season, so during any one time, you usually don’t get enough spores to visualize on paper.