A small fungus with a shell or kidney shaped cap and a short eccentric stem.  The cap is smooth to finely felty, orange brown, dark brown or reddish brown, to about 3 cm across. The gills are adnate, crowded and brown coloured, and the spores are brown, oval and smooth.

It is superficially similar to Panellus stipticus.

Photograph from top down, in side view and underneath to show gills and full length of stem; it wil help to detach a cap to see the gills and eccentric stem.  Note habitat and substrate. 

On dead or rotten wood, cut or sawn wood and on materials such as old rope and carpets.

Autumn through to spring.

Widespread in Britain.

Occasionally recorded