These striking tough brackets grow mainly on oak, but here on sweet chestnut. They have rich dark brown to black-brown surfaces with thin cream margins; the fresh surface, especially at the margins, has a hispid-velvety texture (lens). The underside is very dark. It is widespread nationally, but common only south of a line from Herefordshire through Warwickshire then south-east to Kent. We have only one other site for it in Notts at Ploughman Wood, where it was last recorded in 2000.