Ganoderma applanatum

Ganoderma applanatum (Artist's Bracket, Artist's Conk, or Flacher Lackporling; syn. Boletus applanatus, Fomes applanatus, Fomes vegetus, Ganoderme aplani, Ganoderma lipsiense, Polyporus applanatus, and Polyporus vegetus) is a bracket fungus with a cosmopolitan distribution.

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The spore bodies are up to 30-40 cm across, hard, woody-textured, and inedible; they are white at first but soon turn dark red-brown.

It is a wood-decaying 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.

References

• 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