Orange Pore Fungus
Favolaschia calocera (?)
Observed in the understory of moist forest, Kirinyaga, Kenya, May 2017. Identification was kindly provided by Petragloyn.
In most areas of Kenya, and indeed Africa in general, a piece of wood like this dead, fallen tree branch would long ago have been gathered and burned for fuel. Now, this one in Mt. Kenya Forest Reserve is rotting, soaked with water and supports a vast diversity of organisms. It also allows the Mt. Kenya water tower retain water that will be slowly released to the groundwater and into the air through transpiration. The atmosphere, precipitation cycles, and the land environment below the mountains are the beneficiaries.
This mushroom species is apparently not native to Kenya. Speculation is that it originated in Asia or Madagascar and may have been spread to many places through international commerce. In some localities it has been designated as a potentially invasive species.