Postia ptychogaster?
Tentative ID. There was some argument on whether this is Climacodon pulcherrimus or Postia ptychogaster. I'm scratching my head a bit over these fruiting bodies. They were growing on a fallen conifer branch near a river (under mostly Eastern Hemlock). Windham County, Connecticut, US. December 2021.
The pilei were pale peach/cream and fuzzy (I almost thought they were P. nidulans until I looked below). Fertile surfaces had tooth-like pores (some looked quite toothed while others were in between a pored and toothed appearance). Texture was VERY soft and pliable. No odor.
''Postia ptychogaster'', commonly known as the powderpuff bracket, is a species of fungus in the family Fomitopsidaceae. The fungus, which is found in Europe, resembles a powdery cushion that fruits on stumps and logs of rotting conifer wood. In this stage of its life cycle, the "cushion" is a mass of chlamydospores.
