Ganoderma applanatum

(Pers.) Pat.

Mature fruiting bodies on a large pruning wound on beech in Gothenburg, Sweden.
Abundant gall proliferation on the underside of a bracket on oak in Kungalv, Sweden.
A small bracket on a fallen birch at Hampstead Heath, London.
The lighter flesh colour when compared to Ganoderma australe.
Gall damage within the bracket and beneath via visible protrusions on poplar in Barnet, London.

Mature fruiting bodies on a large pruning wound on beech in Gothenburg, Sweden.
Abundant gall proliferation on the underside of a bracket on oak in Kungalv, Sweden.
A small bracket on a fallen birch at Hampstead Heath, London.
The lighter flesh colour when compared to Ganoderma australe.
Gall damage within the bracket and beneath via visible protrusions on poplar in Barnet, London.

Common name

Artist’s bracket.

Often found on

A very wide range of broadleaved species.

Sometimes found on

conifers (notably larch and pine).

Location

Found fruiting from structural roots up to the lower crown on dysfunctional areas or on dead trees and stumps.

Description

Perennial . Grows singularly or in tiers. Tough and woody. Light chocolate brown surface. Ribbed white sometimes (usually younger specimens). Young fruiting bodies begin as white masses. White pore surface – often damaged by galls that also tunnel inside the bracket . Chocolate brown flesh. Brown spore. Upper cuticle consistently under 1mm in thickness – can be broken with thumb. Can become very large. May grow for many years.

Confused with

Ganoderma australe (thicker outer crust and far more common).

Significance

Considered to be saprotrophic . Potentially a very weak parasite. Attributed with a selective white rot of wood. Presence will indicate dysfunction on living trees. There exists some confusion on the Ganoderma species, as regards pathogenicity and also where different species reside amongst a series of species complexes, with this species being considered parasitic in the Americas and also Asia. In the UK, it is generally considered to be a saprotroph.