Polypores are a kind of wood-decaying macro-fungi. They produce poroid hymenophore, and play essential roles in the natural renewal of forest ecosystems because they have ability to fully decompose lignocellulose of wood. Most species of polypores belong to the Polyporales, Hymenochaetales, Gloeophyllales, Trechisporale, Corticiales and Thelephorales according to the current taxonomy. In this study, the mycota and ecology of polypores in eastern Himalayas were studied. A total of 372 polypore species belonging to 10 orders, 19 families and 101 genera were recognized. Among the 19 families, Polyporaceae and Hymenochaetaceae, being composed of 138 and 72 species, respectively, are the dominant families. These 210 species in the two families account for 56.5% of the total species found in the studied area. Other large families include the Fomitopsidaceae, Meruliaceae and Phanerochaetaceae, comprising 55, 29 and 24 species, respectively. The cosmopolitan families are Polyporaceae, Meruliaceae, Phanerochaetaceae, Hymenochaetaceae, Schizoporaceae, Bondarzewiaceae, Hydnodontaceae and Auriculariaceae, the north temperate families are Fomitopsidaceae, Albatrellaceae, Gloeophyllaceae, Bankeraceae, Thelephoraceae, Fistulinaceae, Atheliaceae and Hydnaceae, while the tropical and subtropical families are Ganodermataceae and Mycenaceae. The dominant genera are Phellinus and Polyporus, and 34 and 20 species were found in the two genera, respectively. The species in these two genera, occupying 2% of the total 19 genera, account for 14.5% of the total polypore species in the studied area. Other large genera are Antrodia, Postia and Trametes, respectively, with 16, 15 and 15species. The cosmopolitan genera are Abortiporus, Antrodia, Auriporia, Antrodiella, Bjerkandera, Ceriporia, Ceriporiopsis, Cerrena, Daedalea, Daedaleopsis, Datronia, Dichomitus, Fomitiporia, Fomitopsis, Ganoderma, Gloeophyllum, Gloeoporus, Haploporus, Heterobasidion, Hyphodontia, Inocutis, Inonotus, Irpex, Junghuhnia, Laetiporus, Lenzites, Megasporoporia, Oxyporus, Perenniporia, Phaeolus, Phellinus, Phylloporia, Polyporus, Pycnoporus, Rigidoporus, Skeletocutis, Stromatoscypha, Trametes, Trechispora, Trichaptum and Tyromyces, the north temperate genera are Abundisporus, Albatrellus, Anomoloma, Anomoporia, Aurantiporus, Boletopsis, Bondarzewia, Byssoporia, Castanoporus, Cinereomyces, Climacocystis, Coltricia, Coltriciella, Cryptoporus, Diplomitoporus, Erastia, Fibroporia, Fistulina, Fomes, Gelatoporia, Grifola, Hapalopilus, Ischnoderma, Jahnoporus, Lenzitopsis, Leptoporus, Leucophellinus, Melanoderma, Mensularia, Oligoporus, Onnia, Parmastomyces, Phellinidium, Physisporinus, Piptoporus, Poriodontia, Postia, Pouzaroporia, Protomerulius, Pyrrhoderma, Rhodonia, Sarcoporia, Sistotrema, Wolfiporia and Wrightoporia, while the tropical and subtropical genera are Amauroderma, Coriolopsis, Cyclomyces, Earliella, Echinochaete, Echinoporia, Elmerina, Favolaschia, Funalia, Hexagonia, Hydnopolyporus, Microporus, Nigroporus, Pyrofomes and Tinctoporellus. The 372 polypore species in eastern Himalayas were geographically classified into eight groups, north temperate, pantropical, cosmopolitan, endemic to China, East Asia, East Asia-North America, East Asia-Europe and tropical Asia, respectively, including 119, 62, 60, 46, 33, 15, 18 and nine species. That is to say most of polypores in eastern Himalayas are the boreal and temperate elements, and the mycota of polypores in eastern Himalayas has typically characteristics of boreal and temperate group. The common, occasional, rare and endangered polypores comprise, respectively, 156, 141, 54 and 21 species. 304, 49 and 19 polypore species were identified, respectively, as saprophytic, parasitic and mycorrhizal fungi. 256 polypore species occur on angiosperm wood, 137 species grow on gymnosperm wood, while 40 species inhabit both angiosperm and gymnosperm wood. Polypores are more common on gymnosperm wood than on angiosperm wood in eastern Himalayas. 71, 68 and 51 polypore species were found, respectively, on Picea, Pinus and Abies, while less than 50 species were recorded on all angiosperm genera.