About Picipes melanopus (Pers.) Zmitr. & Kovalenko
Picipes melanopus (Pers.) Zmitr. & Kovalenko has a brown velvety cap that can grow up to 10 cm across. The cap is centrally depressed, and the fungus has tough flesh. Its stipe is covered in a soft black felt layer. This species is inedible. Several other species look similar to Picipes melanopus. These include Picipes badius, Cerioporus leptocephalus, and Cerioporus varius. All three of these similar species also have black felt on their stipes, but for Cerioporus leptocephalus and Cerioporus varius, the black felt only covers the lower half of the stipe. Picipes badius does not have clamp connections. Polyporus tuberaster and Jahnoporus hirtus are also similar in appearance; Jahnoporus hirtus has a gray-brown cap.
