The flat polypore belongs to the inedible mushrooms of the Ganoderma family, the genus Ganoderma. It is most common in the forests of the Northern Hemisphere, in particular in its temperate zone.
Description and distribution
This type of mushroom is perennial; their age can range from 40 to 50 years. Due to the absence of a stalk, the mushroom is classified as sessile, i.e. attached sideways to its location. Polypores are usually not located too high, and their favorite places to appear are stumps, old or dying trees, and dead wood. Mostly poplars and birches are subject to their siege, and less often coniferous trees. The tinder fungus is located flat on a short distance from each other, forming a layer of mushrooms.
The width of their cap can vary from 5 to 40 cm; sometimes there are giant mushrooms with a cap up to 75 cm. The surface of the mushroom cap is flat with pronounced sagging and irregularities, framed in most cases by a white border. There is also a matte coating on the surface. The cap itself has a color from grayish to dirty brown. Its outer part is white or milky. If you cut the mushroom, its flesh will look like a chocolate-colored cork. Most often on the mushroom cap you can find in large quantities spore powder.
The flat tinder fungus is a powerful wood destroyer. Forming on it, it contributes to the appearance of white rot.
The tinder fungus has many varieties, most of which are beneficial to our body. Experienced mushroom pickers know about all its capabilities, but now we will pay attention to its composition, use in medicine and everyday life, and will also tell you how to properly collect, prepare and consume this forest dweller.
Botanical description
Polypores, or tinder fungi, are representatives of a non-systematic group of fungi belonging to the basidiomycetes department. They grow on wood, but sometimes on the ground.
Their hymenophore is tubular, the fruiting bodies are prostrate, sessile or cap-footed, with the appearance of pulp - from fleshy to hard (leathery, corky, woody).
Energy value and calorie content
100 g of this product contains only about 22 kcal, and also:
- proteins - 3.09 g;
- fat - 0.34 g;
- carbohydrates - 3.26 g.
Chemical composition
In addition to the high content of proteins and carbohydrates, tinder fungus contains a lot of fiber, resinous substances, B vitamins, selenium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc and manganese.
Medicinal properties
The tinder fungus has many medicinal properties:
- bactericidal;
- antivirus;
- restorative;
- expectorant;
- antitumor;
- wound healing;
- rejuvenating;
- diuretic;
- anti-inflammatory.
- ulcer;
- various tumors;
- cardiovascular diseases;
- constipation;
- liver dysfunction;
- bladder diseases;
- pneumonia, chronic bronchitis, tuberculosis;
- pancreas;
- gout, etc.
Collection and procurement rules
Tinder mushrooms can be harvested throughout the year, but the main thing is that they grow on living trees. The mushroom must be carefully separated from the tree at its base. Don’t forget to cut off the crust and growth from it with a knife. 
It is recommended to make the preparation on the day of collection, as these mushrooms harden very quickly. They are usually dried in a stove or in well-ventilated areas.
They can also be prepared in the form of tinctures, which are then stored in the refrigerator, or in the form of crushed powder, stored in a jar or other glass container. Another option is freezing. Then the mushrooms will be able to extend their usefulness to six months, or even up to a year.
Important!When making an infusion, be sure to follow the recipe, otherwise you may encounter side effects after its use: headache, nausea and vomiting.
Application
These mushrooms can be used both for medicinal purposes and in everyday life. 
In medicine
Mushrooms are used to treat many different diseases:
In addition, they promote wound healing, and are also included in recipes for weight loss and against insomnia.
At home
In the old days, tinder fungi were used as tinder (wick), using it to start a fire. Hats and some clothes were made from them, a kind of natural suede was obtained. 
Today, these mushrooms are used in beekeeping as fuel for smokers. They are also used in the manufacture of souvenirs, crafts, and pendants.
Did you know?Some modern artists to this day use felt-tip pens with a homemade rod cut from a tinder fungus. In such an instrument, you can change the shape and size of the writing rod at your discretion. And replacing it with a new one is also not difficult, just go into the forest. Artists believe that in this case the drawn lines turn out to be more juicy and varied.
The role of the fungus in the life of a tree
There are two options here: either cut down the tree, uproot the stump and burn it, or constantly cut off the mushrooms, disinfecting the places where they appear. 
Although it cannot be said that the appearance of tinder fungi is an entirely negative phenomenon. Yes, on the one hand, they destroy wood on a healthy tree, weakening it, on the other hand, they participate in the decomposition of dead wood, turning it into humus.
Varieties of tinder fungus
This mushroom has many subspecies. Now we will tell you about its main representatives.
Larch (real)
Larch, or, as it is also called, “real” is the most useful look tinder fungus It is inedible, but medicinal. It is widely used by nutritionists who treat patients with metabolic disorders. It also treats constipation and is used to stop bleeding.
These mushrooms are woody in structure. Their width is from 5 to 40 cm, thickness - 5–20 cm. They are attached to trees sideways. 
This inedible mushroom, which mainly settles on dead wood (mainly birch stumps). It is also called the artist's mushroom because when you press on it with a knife, it leaves a dark imprint on which you can draw.
This species is very large, reaching 40–50 cm in diameter. The surface of its cap is matte, and it appears dry in appearance, its color varies from rusty brown to gray-brown. 
Lacquered (reishi)
There are no toxic substances in this subspecies. On its basis they make useful cosmetical tools(for example, for skin and nails), and is also used to rejuvenate the entire body and cleanse the liver, which leads to clearing the skin of various rashes.
The color of its cap ranges from reddish to brownish-violet, and sometimes even black with a yellowish tint. It has a smooth surface reminiscent of a varnish coating. 
The mushroom has diuretic, antitumor, antibacterial and antiviral properties. It also increases hair growth activity. Young specimens are quite edible; they are used fresh, salted, pickled, or dried.
Outwardly, it somewhat resembles . It often grows at the base of trunks. Its pulp is white, distinguished by an attractive aroma of nuts and mushrooms. 
This subspecies is most often used in cooking. Its regular use lowers cholesterol and blood sugar levels and normalizes the condition of the cardiovascular system. Has antiviral and anti-inflammatory effects. Vegetarians often replace poultry meat with it.
Important!Only young specimens that grow on coniferous trees, and then only in heat-treated form!
They are usually located low above the ground on tree trunks or stumps. Their flesh is soft and juicy, quite brittle, white, and sour in taste. 
The mushroom is inedible. Although some sources say that you can still eat it, but only the cap and only the young mushroom. True, it is absolutely tasteless, so it is difficult to say what is best to cook from it.
His hat is gray-brown, round, with a depressed center and a rolled edge. The leg is velvety, brownish. The pulp is white, hard. 
Also an inedible subspecies. It is considered completely useless. The hat can have a diameter from 5 to 25 cm. Its shape is irregular, funnel-shaped with wavy edges. In young specimens they are gray-brown, in mature ones they are rich brown, almost black. 
It contains substances with antibiotic properties and antitumor effects. With its help, they treat pulmonary diseases, relieve fever, and help muscle tissue recover. It is not used in cooking.
Its pulp is thin, whitish, with a bitter taste. Young mushrooms may have a slight anise smell. The tubes are short - up to 6 mm long. 
Also inedible. Grows on thin fallen branches. Fruits in summer and autumn. The fruiting bodies of this subspecies are small. The diameter of the hat is no more than 5 cm. It is fleshy with thin edges, yellow-brown or ocher in color. The leg is long, thin, dark brown or black. 
According to their own medicinal properties looks like a real tinder fungus. It grows on birch trees, which is why it gets its name. Good as an antispasmodic. Appearance resembles a large bud of a brownish hue. The brown rot it produces “kills” the tree very quickly.
Did you know? This subtype is used to treat the last stage of cancer, when medications do not have an effect. Birch polypore can stop the growth of metastases and relieve pain. In such cases, pour 1 tablespoon of mushroom powder into 400 ml of boiling water and boil for 20 minutes, then filter and take 1 tablespoon three times a day.
The mushroom is inedible. Its fruit body is in the form of lateral caps, often numerous, yellowish in color. Radiated tinder fungi are formed mainly on the trunks of dead alder, with the exception of birch. 
It is used very widely for medicinal purposes: to regulate the functioning of the liver and rehabilitation of cancer patients, the mushroom has hormone-stimulating, immunostimulating and vasodilating effects. It is used in the treatment of alcoholism, and also against the herpes virus.
Hats of this subspecies are usually up to 10 cm in diameter. The top is divided into zones of different colors: white, gray, brown are replaced by blue and almost black. 
Another name is motley. Basically, the mushroom is added to ointments against inflammation in the joints, osteochondrosis, arthrosis, and varicose veins. It is a distant relative of the oyster mushroom. It differs from it only in that on the underside of the hat it does not have plates, but tubes. 
This mushroom is inedible. It can be used to produce pulp from various waste materials because it contains lactose, which breaks down lignin. In terms of their structure, these are cork mushrooms with a diameter of 3 to 12 cm. Young specimens have a bright cinnabar-red color, but mature ones fade and become almost ocher in color. 
This subspecies is inedible. Its second name is fragrant. Its peculiarity is its anise smell. The fruit body is rusty brown. This mushroom often grows on dead wood and stumps of coniferous trees. 
It is not used in cooking, but in medicine - yes. It has anti-inflammatory, antitumor and antiviral properties.
His hats are flat (sometimes uneven), with a velvety surface, which can become bare with age. The fruiting bodies are sometimes covered with algae, which gives them a green tint. The pulp looks like a cork - often white, less often yellowish. 
It contains pigments used in industry for coloring. The sewing machine has no smell or taste at all. Its spores are white, with a faint olive-yellow or rust color.
This subspecies settles on the roots of trees, and sometimes goes shallow into the ground. It looks like a typical so-called soil mushroom. 
Also known as "mother-in-law's tongue." It is rich in vitamin C, in 100 g of its pulp - daily norm ascorbic acid. It contains carbohydrates, proteins, minerals, various vitamins, and phosphorus. Young “mother-in-law’s tongue” with non-lignified pulp is edible.
The diameter of the fruiting body sometimes reaches 30 cm. Young liverworts are quite shapeless, and in adulthood they become tongue-shaped, leaf-shaped or fan-shaped. Their surface is shiny, smooth, and sticky when wet.
Important!The composition of tinder fungi has not been fully studied, so before starting treatment with them, it is better to consult a specialist.
As you can see, the family of these mushrooms is very diverse. There are both medicinal and edible ones. And there are also dangerous ones! Therefore, be careful before using them and be sure to find out about the properties of each subspecies. We hope that our article will help you with this.
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| The tinder fungus is flat | |
| Scientific classification | |
|---|---|
| International scientific name | |
|
Ganoderma lipsiense (Batsch) G.F. Atk. , 1908 |
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| Synonyms | |
The tinder fungus is flat(lat. Ganoderma lipsiense, previously - Ganoderma applanatum) - a mushroom of the genus Ganoderma (lat. Ganoderma) family Ganoderma (lat. Ganodermataceae).
Description
The fruiting bodies are perennial, sessile. They are often located close to each other.
The cap is 5-40 cm wide, flat on top with uneven ridges or with concentric grooves, covered with a matte crust. The color above is grayish brown to rusty brown. Very often the fruiting body is covered on top with a layer of rusty-brown spore powder. The outer (growing) edge is white or whitish in color.
The hymenophore is tubular, white or creamy white. Even with a little pressure it gets very dark. This feature gave the mushroom its specific name in English language: Artist's conk- “artist’s mushroom.” You can draw on the hymenophore using a twig or match.
The spore powder is rusty brown. Sporulation is usually very abundant.
Ecology and distribution
The flat tinder fungus is a wood destroyer. It is found everywhere on stumps and dead wood of deciduous trees, usually located low. Causes white or yellow-white (yellowish) wood rot. Occasionally it attacks weakened living trees or coniferous wood.
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An excerpt characterizing the flat tinder fungus
Together with the soldier, an infantry officer with a bandaged cheek approached the fire and, turning to Tushin, asked him to order the tiny gun to be moved in order to transport the cart. Behind the company commander, two soldiers ran to the fire. They swore and fought desperately, pulling out some kind of boot from each other.- Why, you picked it up! Look, he’s clever,” one shouted in a hoarse voice.
Then a thin, pale soldier approached with his neck tied with a bloody wrap and in an angry voice demanded water from the artillerymen.
- Well, should I die like a dog? - he said.
Tushin ordered to give him water. Then a cheerful soldier ran up, asking for a light in the infantry.
- A hot fire to the infantry! Stay happily, fellow countrymen, thank you for the light, we will pay you back with interest,” he said, carrying the reddened firebrand somewhere into the darkness.
Behind this soldier, four soldiers, carrying something heavy on their overcoats, walked past the fire. One of them tripped.
“Look, devils, they put firewood on the road,” he grumbled.
- It’s over, so why wear it? - said one of them.
- Well, you!
And they disappeared into the darkness with their burden.
- What? hurts? – Tushin asked Rostov in a whisper.
- Hurts.
- Your honor, to the general. They’re standing here in the hut,” said the fireworksman, approaching Tushin.
- Now, my dear.
Tushin stood up and, buttoning his overcoat and straightening himself, walked away from the fire...
Not far from the artillery fire, in the hut prepared for him, Prince Bagration sat at dinner, talking with some of the unit commanders who had gathered with him. There was an old man with half-closed eyes, greedily gnawing a mutton bone, and a twenty-two-year-old impeccable general, flushed from a glass of vodka and dinner, and a staff officer with a name ring, and Zherkov, looking at everyone restlessly, and Prince Andrei, pale, with pursed lips and feverishly shiny eyes.
or Ganoderma oblates
- inedible mushroom
✎ Affiliation and generic characteristics
✎ Healing properties
The ubiquity of polypore flatus makes it a promising medicinal raw material, attracting the importance of many researchers. But as a medicinal mushroom, the flat tinder fungus is much inferior in glory to its famous relative, the lacquered tinder fungus (reishi mushroom), however, it has been shown that it:
Polysaccharides exhibit pronounced anticancer and immunostimulating activity, and stimulate the regeneration of mucous membranes in gastric ulcers;
- exopolymers (microorganisms for eliminating hydrophobic substrates), secreted by the mycelium of the fungus into the culture liquid, lower blood sugar levels;
- methanol extract exhibits antibacterial properties, and also effectively absorbs free radicals and lowers blood sugar levels by inhibiting aldose reductase (an important enzyme, the uncontrolled activity of which leads to the development of diabetes);
- aqueous extracts actively absorb all free radicals and protect lipids from oxidation;
- infusions and decoctions reduce the level of cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood, providing anti-inflammatory, hepatoprotective and antiallergic effects.
✎ Similar species
The tinder fungus is flat quite often confused (sometimes mixed) with a representative of the same genus - the lacquered tinder fungus (lat. Ganoderma lucidum), better known under the name "reishi mushroom", "lingzhi mushroom" or "immortality mushroom", from which it is visually distinguished not so much the shape and color of the fruiting body is matte (not glossy), the shiny and varnished surface of the smooth cap, like that of the varnished tinder fungus (for which the varnished tinder fungus got its name).
But the flat tinder fungus also has other similar counterparts in its genus, first of all, these are:
- southern tinder fungus (southern ganoderma) (lat. Ganoderma australe), which is considered a variety (“big brother”) of the flat tinder fungus, lives only in southern regions and is more different large sizes fruiting bodies with a glossy surface and layers of hymenophore without an interval layer (in overripe fruiting bodies) with large size dispute;
- expressive tinder fungus or (Ganoderma expressive) (lat. Ganoderma adspersum) - an unusual subspecies of the flat tinder fungus, almost never found in Russia, distinguished by more massive, but not very flat fruiting bodies than those of the flat tinder fungus and larger hymenophore spores.
✎ Distribution in nature and seasonality
The flat tinder fungus is a quite common species in its genus; it is found everywhere throughout the temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere: in the central zone of Russia (in its European part up to Far East), throughout Eurasia and North America.
The flat tinder fungus is a perennial (well-wintering) saprotroph, found everywhere, quite often and lives in deciduous or mixed forests, on dead wood (stumps or dead wood) of many deciduous trees (but most often on birch and poplar) or on some coniferous trees, but very rarely comes across living ones, infecting mainly old or weakened trees through cracks in the roots and bases of trunks, from where its mycelium penetrates into the center of the trunk and, rising upward, causes white or yellowish corrosive rot.
The flat tinder fungus is not picky about climatic conditions and to environment, and its fruiting begins in the spring, in May, and continues until late autumn, or until winter, almost until December, remaining to hibernate.
✎ Brief description and application
The flat polypore belongs to a very separate group of aphyllophoroid hymenomycetes, which includes species with a spore-bearing layer (hymenophore) of different types:
- smooth;
- labyrinthine-mesh;
- tuberous;
- tubular;
- cellular;
- labyrinthine,
- smooth,
in the form of interlacing folds and different from the known tubular and lamellar mushrooms.
The fruiting bodies of the tinder fungus are perennial and can grow from 40 to 50 years, very large and usually flat (hence its name), sessile and occasionally located very close to each other, with an uneven upper surface (cap) with visible bulges and concentric grooves with a white edging, almost always covered with a rusty-brown coating, in the form of a matte crust, which, when erased, reveals a dull gray-brown or rusty-brown color. The leg is always absent (but sometimes there is still a short lateral support), the fruit is attached to the substrate with the side part. The spore-bearing layer (or hymenophore) is tubular and initially white, turning brown when pressed and damaged, then becomes brownish or yellowish, and with age it darkens to brown-olive, and includes several tubular layers at once, located one above the other. The pores are white and round, deep, barely visible to the naked eye. The pulp is very corky-woody, and when broken it is felt-fibrous, brownish-chestnut in color in young fruits, chocolate-brown and spotty fading in old ones, without taste or smell.
The flat polypore is unsuitable for consumption, but is successfully used as a medicinal mushroom.
Application:
In Chinese or Japanese folk medicine flat polypore and other representatives of the genus Ganoderma are used in therapy
and the prevention of hepatitis, hypertension, hyperglycemia, as well as in the treatment of chronic bronchitis or bronchial asthma, and also in the treatment of cancer and other tumors.
In China, tinder fungus, along with other medicinal species, is included in the composition of general strengthening preparations:
- - to increase mental performance;
- to normalize blood composition;
- for prevention and treatment nervous diseases;
- for the treatment of diseases of the cardiovascular system;
- for the treatment of liver diseases;
- for the treatment of diseases genitourinary system;
- for the treatment of diabetes, rheumatism, gastritis, ulcers.
In Western medicine, the flat tinder fungus is not used, although it is very popular for making souvenirs with drawings on the dried lower surface of the fruiting body.
Polypore family - Polyporaceae
The flat polypore is a woody mushroom with a sessile perennial fruiting body. The stalk is absent, the mushroom is attached to the substrate with its side. The fruit body is usually flat, the upper surface is uneven, often with concentric grooves and a white edge. The upper surface of the fruiting body is almost always covered with a rusty-brown coating of basidiospores. If the coating of spores is wiped off, the mushroom cap becomes a dull gray-brown color. The surface of the hymenophore is creamy-white, becoming brownish or yellowish in older specimens. Feature mushroom - when pressing on the hymenophore with a sharp object, a permanent dark imprint remains at the point of contact, so that you can draw on the surface of the mushroom. In English, for this feature, the mushroom is called Artist's conk - the artist's mushroom. Pores are 5...7 by 1 mm, spore size is 6...10x4.5...6.5 microns. The flesh of the mushroom on the crack is corky, woody, chocolate-colored -brown The fruiting body reaches a size of about 40 cm, and larger specimens are reported - up to 75 cm. According to some reports, the age of the fruiting body can reach 40...50 years.
Spreading
The flat tinder fungus is a cosmopolitan mushroom, but its distribution is mostly confined to forests temperate zone Northern Hemisphere.
Habitat
The flat tinder fungus is especially common on birch and poplar, less often on other deciduous trees, and sometimes on coniferous trees. It usually grows on stumps and dead wood, but sometimes attacks old weakened trees through cracks in the roots and at the base of the trunk. Causes white rot of wood.
Chemical composition
Polypore flatum contains endo- and exopolysaccharides with anticancer and immunostimulating activity, fatty acid, steroids with antimicrobial activity, triterpenoids and their derivatives (ganoderic and ganoderic acids), phenols with antioxidant activity. The mushroom is rich in trace elements such as selenium and germanium. During growth, the mycelium of the fungus secretes lignin-degrading enzymes and antibiotics.
pharmachologic effect
Although, as a medicinal mushroom, the flat fungus is in the shadow of the glory of its famous relative reishi (more on this in the next chapter), the wide distribution of this mushroom makes it a promising medicinal raw material and attracts the interest of researchers. It has been shown that fungal polysaccharides exhibit pronounced anticancer and immunostimulating activity. They also stimulate the regeneration of mucous membranes in case of stomach ulcers. Exopolymers secreted by fungal mycelium into the culture liquid lower blood sugar levels in diabetes. The methanol extract of the fruiting body exhibits antibacterial properties, but only against gram-negative bacteria, and also effectively absorbs free radicals and lowers blood sugar levels by inhibiting aldose reductase, an enzyme whose uncontrolled activity leads to the development of diabetes. Extracts of polypore flatum lower the level of cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood. Research has been carried out chemical composition methanol extract and identified components that are promising as drugs against diabetes. Aqueous extracts and decoctions of the mushroom also actively absorb free radicals and protect lipids from oxidation. Anti-inflammatory, hepatoprotective and antiallergic effects of tinder fungus extracts have also been discovered.
Application
The mushroom is not used in Western medicine. Popular for making souvenirs with designs on the lower surface of the fruiting body.
In Chinese and Japanese folk medicine, polypore flatum, along with other representatives of the genus Ganoderma, is used for the prevention and treatment of hepatitis, hypertension, hyperglycemia, chronic bronchitis and bronchial asthma, and cancer.
In China, polypore flatus, along with other medicinal mushrooms, is included in preparations for general strengthening effects, to increase mental performance, to normalize blood composition, for the prevention and treatment of nervous diseases, diseases of the cardiovascular system, liver diseases, diseases of the genitourinary system, diabetes, rheumatism, gastritis, ulcers, cancer and tumors of other nature.
On commercial sites, the flat polypore (Ganoderma applanatum) is sometimes mixed with a member of the same genus, the lacquered polypore (Ganoderma lucidum), known as reishi. Here it is necessary to clarify that reishi is a collective name; in a general sense, it refers to about 2000 species of tree mushrooms. In treatises of traditional Chinese medicine, speech it's already underway about the six types of reishi: namely red, black, blue, white, yellow and purple reishi. In Chinese medicinal canons, it is believed that red reishi, the same lacquered tinder fungus, has the greatest healing power. The name wild reishi mostly refers to the black reishi (Ganoderma sinensis), widespread in China, but sometimes this name also refers to the flat tinder fungus. True red reishi (Ganoderma lucidum) is a mushroom with a lacquered cap and edible flesh, while the woody fruiting body of the flat polypore is unsuitable for food.
Laccase, which is secreted by the mycelium of the fungus to break down lignin in wood, is an enzyme with a wide range of properties. substrate specificity, destroying phenols and organic dyes. Laccase is a promising biotechnological tool. In particular, the high efficiency of laccase obtained by cultivating mycelium in purifying Wastewater from phenols and clarification of wastewater from olive oil production.
