Artist’s bracket, this fungus is shaped like a horseshoe, belongs to the lacquer fungi and is a parasite of living deciduous trees.
Also known as:
Artist’s Fungus
Artist’s Conk
Bear bread
Artist’s bracket (Ganoderma applanatum). This fungus is shaped like a horseshoe and belongs to the bracket fungi (Ganoderma). Artist’s bracket is a parasite of living deciduous trees. The hat is fan-shaped and between 10 and 40 cm wide. The top is slightly convex; the bottom is flat. The cinnamon-colored hat has a white rim. The fungus and its surroundings are often covered with a layer of cocoa-colored spores.
This fungus can be found year-round on older, weakened deciduous trees. A tree once affected is eventually doomed – sometimes after many years.
The Artist’s bracket is tough and not edible.
