Velvet-top Fungus Phaeolus schweinitzii

''Phaeolus schweinitzii'', commonly known as velvet-top fungus, dyer's polypore, dyer's mazegill, or pine dye polypore, is a fungal plant pathogen that causes butt rot on conifers such as Douglas-fir, spruce, fir, hemlock, pine, and larch. ''P. schweinitzii'' is a polypore, although unlike bracket fungi the fruiting body may appear terrestrial when growing from the roots or base of the host tree.

The fruiting bodies, appearing in late summer or fall, commonly incorporate blades of grass,.. more