Stats

Lifespan

Up to 50 yrs

Size

Large

Diet

Decomposer

Biome

Temperate broadleaf forest

Range

Worldwide

Movement

Sessile

Breeding

Spores

Defense

Armor

Status

Common

About

A large woody bracket fungus that grows shelf-like on the sides of dead or dying hardwood trees. Its white pore surface bruises brown when scratched, making it a natural canvas — a single conk can persist for decades, growing new pore layers each year.

Life cycle

1. 1.
   spore

   A microscopic spore drifts on air or water and germinates where moisture and substrate meet.
2. 2.
   mycelium

   A thread-like mycelium spreads through the substrate, breaking it down into nutrients.
3. 3.
   fruiting body

   A mature fruiting body emerges to release the next generation of spores.

Learn more

• View on iNaturalist →
• Watch on YouTube →

Taxonomy

Kingdom

Fungi

Phylum

Basidiomycota

Class

Agaricomycetes

Order

Polyporales

Family

Polyporaceae

Genus

Ganoderma

Species

Ganoderma applanatum