Artist's Conk

Types of Shelf Mushrooms Coltricia perennis Dyer's Bracket Red-belted Polypore Turkey Tail Types of Mushrooms

Artist's Conks (Ganoderma applanatum) are large and common bracket mushrooms, found primarily on hardwood trees and stumps across the United States.

They are perennials, growing in layers from season to season. It is not unusual to find one growing two feet across.

Color variations are typical across their range, however, most closely resemble the one in the picture, brown on the top and white on the bottom. Unfortunatley for the host tree in the picture, the species is a wood decayer. The attached Artist's Conk is slowly eating away the base of the trunk.

They are also considered spore monsters, with large ones capable of dispersing billions in a single day during their summer and fall growing season.

Their sensitivity to touch makes them an artist's favorite. The white pores on the bottom turn brown with the slightest contact. Many folk art masterpieces have been etched on specimens by patient and creative artists.

© 2007 Patricia A. Michaels