Fungus
Artist's Bracket
Ganoderma applanatumAlso known as Artist's Conk, Bear Bread
Artist's bracket produces tough, woody shelf-like brackets that cling to living or dead hardwoods year-round. Etching the fresh, chalk-white underside with a pointed tool turns the pore tissue dark brown, creating permanent artwork as the bracket dries. Millions of cocoa-colored microscopic spores dust the surrounding bark and forest floor during warm weather releases.
Wood-DecayingPerennialBracket Fungus
—observations
—countries
—peak records
Not EvaluatedConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXNot Evaluated — not placed on the risk ladderRed List categories, explained →
Diet & preyHardwood lignin, Dead tree cellulose
Predators
- Ciid beetles
- Fungus gnat larvae
- Slugs
ThreatsDeforestation and clearcutting of old-growth timber
HabitatsTemperate and tropical hardwood forests, parks, woodlands
Life span5–20 years
Classification
- OrderPolyporales
- FamilyPolyporaceae
- GenusGanoderma
- SpeciesGanoderma applanatum
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Many edible mushrooms have toxic look-alikes; never eat wild fungi based on app identification alone.
Responsible observation
- Etching Surface: Scratching the white pore layer creates dark lines that remain permanently.
- Tree Inspection: Look for hard, shelf-like brackets protruding from living or dead hardwood trunks.
- Pore Examination: Touch the underside gently to see the white pore layer bruise dark brown.
Competitor (c) Alan Rockefeller, some rights reserved (CC BY) · cc-by
Competitor (c) Jamie Griffiths, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Jamie Griffiths · cc-by
Close Relative "Reishi Mushroom" by Wendell Smith is licensed under CC BY 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/. · cc-by
Close Relative (c) Erlon Bailey, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), uploaded by Erlon Bailey · cc-by-sa
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