Editing Polypore (section)

=== Delimitation (morphology) ===
Most polypores have a poroid hymenium, but not all species. A few, for instance ''Elmerina holophaea'' and ''[[Lenzites betulina]]'', form gills like [[agaric]]s but are still considered polypores, since in all other respects they are similar to closely related polypores, forming tough fruiting bodies on the wood. A couple of species where the tubes have not fused together in a honey-comb manner are variably classified as polypores or not (e.g. ''Porotheleum fimbriatum''). There's no clear distinction between polypores and hydnoid fungi - some polypores with irregularly poroid lower surface have been considered both polypores and hydnoid fungi (e.g. ''[[Echinodontium tinctorium]]'', ''[[Irpex lacteus]]'').

[[Bolete]] mushrooms are a separate morphological group not included in polypores even though they have tubes. Fleshy fruiting bodies with a stalk and microscopic characters separate boletes from polypores.

<gallery widths="200px" heights="140px">
File:Irpex lacteus2.jpg|''[[Irpex lacteus]]'' with irregular pores
File:Elmerina holophaea.jpg|''Elmerina holophaea'', a polypore with gills
</gallery>