Do You Recognize This Bracket Fungus??

[paghat]

I'm merely guessing these are Ganoderma lucidum bracket fungus, but
they're not as shiny on top as G lucidum would usually be, & I can't see
that they are particularly stemmed underneath but are more purely
shelf-like. So I am probably guessing in entirely the wrong direction,
having very little knowledge of fungi. Anyhoo, here are two pictures of
them growing on the side of a rotting fireplace round:

http://www.paghat.com/images/bracketfungus1_feb.jpg

http://www.paghat.com/images/bracketfungus2_feb.jpg

They're only about two inches or two & a half inches wide, quite thin, &
strongly striped. They growing native here on west side of Puget Sound
geographically near the rain forest. The decaying round they're growing on
is fir. I'd settle for being sure of the genus, but if anyone can judge
the species from just photos, great.

I'm going to preserve this spot as-is so that the brackets continue to
grow. I think they're gorgeous.

-paghat the ratgirl

--
"Of what are you afraid, my child?" inquired the kindly teacher.
"Oh, sir! The flowers, they are wild," replied the timid creature.
-from Peter Newell's "Wild Flowers"
See the Garden of Paghat the Ratgirl: http://www.paghat.com/

[treelike]

paghat wrote in message ...

>They're only about two inches or two & a half inches wide, quite thin, &
>strongly striped. They growing native here on west side of Puget Sound
>geographically near the rain forest. The decaying round they're growing on
>is fir. I'd settle for being sure of the genus, but if anyone can judge
>the species from just photos, great.
>

Look like Many Zoned Polypore (Trametes versicolor) to me. Very common
fungus perhaps the most common fungus, in the uk anyway. Very variable too
but always with the characteristic zones on top, hence the name. Some people
believe it has medicinal value, strengthening the immune system when made
into a tea. Don't go making a tea with it though because I might be wrong
and it may be poisonous!

>I'm going to preserve this spot as-is so that the brackets continue to
>grow. I think they're gorgeous.

Yes they are nice aren't they. I found some last year which had blue zones
on it which you can just about see in this picture I took.

http://website.lineone.net/~treelike/0844.h5.jpg

[Mike Prager]

On Mon, 03 Mar 2003 11:01:01 -0700,
(paghat) wrote:

>I'm merely guessing these are Ganoderma lucidum bracket fungus, but
>they're not as shiny on top as G lucidum would usually be, & I can't see

Not _Ganoderma_, which seems to be a genus of brackets with
very shiny and hard tops. It could be very difficult to get
the ID even to genus, as the polypores (family Polyporaceae)
have been divided into many small genera, and they are rarely
covered in any detail in field guides, because the vast
majority of them are of no culinary interest. So only a
specialist, rather than a pot-hunter (like me, though with 3
feet of mushroom books on my shelf) could key it out, and that
would require more detail (spore info, etc.) than your very
nice pictures.

"Treelike" suggested _Trametes versicolor_, and I would second
that as a very good guess. It grows on hardwoods and conifers.
I still wouldn't bet money on it.

Have fun!


Mike Prager
Beaufort, NC (on the coast in zone 8a)
(Remove symbols from email address to reply.)

[paghat]

In article >, "treelike"
> wrote:

> paghat wrote in message ...
>
> >They're only about two inches or two & a half inches wide, quite thin, &
> >strongly striped. They growing native here on west side of Puget Sound
> >geographically near the rain forest. The decaying round they're growing on
> >is fir. I'd settle for being sure of the genus, but if anyone can judge
> >the species from just photos, great.
> >
>
> Look like Many Zoned Polypore (Trametes versicolor) to me. Very common
> fungus perhaps the most common fungus, in the uk anyway. Very variable too
> but always with the characteristic zones on top, hence the name. Some people
> believe it has medicinal value, strengthening the immune system when made
> into a tea. Don't go making a tea with it though because I might be wrong
> and it may be poisonous!
>
> >I'm going to preserve this spot as-is so that the brackets continue to
> >grow. I think they're gorgeous.
>
> Yes they are nice aren't they. I found some last year which had blue zones
> on it which you can just about see in this picture I took.
>
> http://website.lineone.net/~treelike/0844.h5.jpg

Thanks! That certainly seems to be it.

-paghat

--
"Of what are you afraid, my child?" inquired the kindly teacher.
"Oh, sir! The flowers, they are wild," replied the timid creature.
-from Peter Newell's "Wild Flowers"
See the Garden of Paghat the Ratgirl: http://www.paghat.com/

[Daniel B. Wheeler]

"treelike" > wrote in message >...
> paghat wrote in message ...
>
> >They're only about two inches or two & a half inches wide, quite thin, &
> >strongly striped. They growing native here on west side of Puget Sound
> >geographically near the rain forest. The decaying round they're growing on
> >is fir. I'd settle for being sure of the genus, but if anyone can judge
> >the species from just photos, great.
> >
>
> Look like Many Zoned Polypore (Trametes versicolor) to me. Very common
> fungus perhaps the most common fungus, in the uk anyway. Very variable too
> but always with the characteristic zones on top, hence the name. Some people
> believe it has medicinal value, strengthening the immune system when made
> into a tea. Don't go making a tea with it though because I might be wrong
> and it may be poisonous!
>
Trametes versicolor is among the most sought after of Chinese
medicinal mushrooms. I believe David Aurora, speaking to the Oregon
Mycological Society several years ago, noted it was the first mushroom
to sell-out at Chinese farmer's markets wherever he went.

In Benjamin's "Mushrooms: Poisons and Panaceas", Dr. Benjamin notes
that anti-cancer properties for this fungus has been claimed, then
gives 10 medical citations.

The mushroom is typically chewed like gum, not really eaten per se.
While it is thought to strengthen the immune system, the major use is
as a pain killer. The Chinese use it like aspirin. I have heard it is
considered among the safest of Chinese medicinal "herbs", which may
not always help in alleviating the illness, but never _harms_.

Daniel B. Wheeler
www.oregonwhitetruffles.com