Fertile surface of this saprobe is pure white and ranges from smooth to warty to veined in appearance. it is a crust (resupinate) species found only on dead alder. It often forms a bracket extension at the upper margin, with the sterile cap surface also white but sometimes beige or light tan. It is soft, flexible and compressible. It does not stain and has no odor, unlike some lookalikes such as Tyromyces chioneus, Postia species and the anise-odored Trametes suaveolens