Polypore Shelves: The Bracket Fungus That Doubles as Furniture

Knock on a polypore and it might knock back. These are the tough, woody bracket fungi that jut straight out of tree trunks like little half-moon shelves, some of them hard enough to last for years. Turkey tail, with its striped, fan-like rings, is a polypore. So is the artist's conk, whose bright white underside bruises brown when you scratch it, so people actually draw pictures on it with a stick.

Polypores get their name from the tiny pores on their undersides, where other mushrooms have gills. In the forest they do the slow work of breaking down wood. On your wall, they hold your stuff.

Our polypore set

Each set includes three bracket-style shelves of varying heights. Every ledge is 3.75 inches across and about 1.5 inches deep, the same size as our oyster sets, but shaped like a classic bracket fungus.

The colors are where these really shine:

• Walnut, the most true-to-nature look
• Dark wood rainbow, a moody mix of rosewood, ebony, burgundy and walnut
• Translucent red, orange and purple, which glow when the sun hits them
• Plus gold, classic white, soft pink, black, blue, opaque red and orange, black fuchsia and a purple-gold blend

Where they look best

• In a plant corner, next to pothos and ferns
• Around a reading nook, holding a candle and a favorite small object
• In kids' rooms, staggered up the wall like a tree trunk
• In reptile and amphibian tanks, where our shelves have found a second life with creature-loving customers

Mix your mushrooms

Polypores look great hung near our oyster mushroom sets. Combine the two, add a large ledge, and you have a whole fungal forest.

See every shape, size and color in our mushroom shelf guide. Custom colors are always welcome; just send us a note.