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Ganoderma applanatum

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Supergroup: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Regnum: Fungi
Phylum: Basidiomycota
Subphylum: Agaricomycotina
Classis: Agaricomycetes
Ordo: Polyporales
Familia: Ganodermataceae
Genus: Ganoderma
Species: G. applanatum

Ganoderma applanatum (Artist's Bracket, Artist's Conch, or Flacher Lackporling; syn. ) is a bracket fungus with a cosmopolitan distribution.

The spore bodies are up to 30–40 centimetres (12–16 in) across, hard, woody-textured, and inedible; they are white at first but soon turn dark red-brown.

It is a wood-decay fungus, using primarily dead heartwood, but also as a pathogen on live sapwood, particularly on older trees. It is a common cause of decay and death of beech and poplar, and less often of several other tree species, including alder, apple, elm, horse-chestnut, maple, oak, walnut, and willow.

A peculiarity of this fungus lies in its ability to be as a drawing medium for artists. When the surface is rubbed or scratched with a sharp implement, it changes from light to dark brown, producing visible lines and shading.

The Anne Frank tree in Amsterdam suffered rot from Ganoderma applanatum before it blew over in 2010.

Fungivory
Larval galls (black objects) of Agathomyia wankowiczii on an Artist's Bracket fungus

The midge, Agathomyia wankowiczii (Platypezidae) lays its eggs on the fruiting body of the fungus forming galls.[1]
Ganoderma applanatum
View the Mycomorphbox template that generates the following list
Mycological characteristics
pores on hymenium
no distinct cap
hymenium is decurrent
lacks a stipe
spore print is brown
ecology is parasitic
edibility: inedible
See also

Medicinal mushrooms

External links

Observations on Mushroom Observer

References

^ Brian Spooner; Peter Roberts (1 April 2005). Fungi. Collins. p. 126. ISBN 978-0-00-220152-0. Retrieved 31 January 2012.

Phillips, D. H., & Burdekin, D. A. (1992). Diseases of Forest and Ornamental Trees. Macmillan.
Ganoderma applanatum
Ganoderma applanatum
Photographs of the fungus, including one used as a drawing surface
Several drawings created on these fungi

Biology Encyclopedia

Fungi Images

Source: Wikipedia, Wikispecies: All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License