Fomitopsis pinicola complex. A young Red Belt Conk fungus attached to the base of a coniferous tree, near Lake Creek, in Lincoln County, Montana.

Fomitopsis pinicola complex. A young Red Belt Conk fungus attached to the base of a coniferous tree, found along Lake Creek, in Lincoln County, Montana. Red Belt Conk is one of many common names this fungus may go by, including, Red-Belted Mushroom, Red-Band Polypore, Red-Banded Conk and several other plays on this theme. The scientific synonyms are probably more varied and numerous, with little consensus at this time. Fomitopsis pinicola is the most familiar of these, but others include, Fomitopsis mounaceae, Fomes pinicola, Boletus pinicola, Fomitopsis ochracea, Polyporus ponderosus, Fomes marginatus, Fomes ungulatus, Fomitopsis schrenkii and probably a half dozen more. Most North American references still use the "Fomitopsis pinicola" nomenclature for the time being. More research in the form of DNA sequencing and sample testing will be needed before consensus can be settled upon. Kingdom: Fungi Division: Basidiomycota Class: Agaricomycetes Order: Polyporales Family: Fomitopsidaceae Genus: Fomitopsis Species: F. pinicola complex