Artist’s Conk - Species Profile
Conservation • Description • Habitat • Ecology • Distribution • Taxonomy
Conservation Status
IUCN Red List
not listed
NatureServe
not listed
Minnesota
not listed
Description
Artist’s Conk, also called Artist’s Bracket, is a common, widespread, easily recognized, perennial, wood decaying, bracket fungus. It occur worldwide in every continent except Antarctica. In North America it occurs in every state in the United States and every province in Canada.
It is found singly or in small groups on most hardwood species and some conifer species. It is usually saprobic, on decaying stumps and logs, but is sometimes parasitic, near the base of injured trees.
The fruiting body is woody, usually stalkless, bracket-like, fan-shaped to slightly convex, 2⅜″ to 23½″ long, and 2″ to 4″ thick. The upper surface is dull, unvarnished, rough, and often furrowed. It is arranged in concentric zones that range from pale gray-brown to dark brown. In the fall it is often powdery with brown spores.
The pore surface is white, becoming yellowish or brownish with age. It instantly turns brown when bruised and remains brown for a long time. The pores are circular, small, 4 to 6 per millimeter, and are difficult to see without a hand lens. The spore tubes are in layers, with a new, ⅛″ to ½″ thick layer added each year.
The spores are brown or reddish brown.
Similar Species
Habitat and Hosts
Woodlands
Ecology
Season
Year-round
Distribution
Sources
Biodiversity occurrence data published by: Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas (accessed through the Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas Portal, bellatlas.umn.edu. Accessed 3/4/2026).
Ganoderma applanatum (Pers.) Pat. in GBIF Secretariat (2023). GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Checklist dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/39omei accessed via GBIF.org. Accessed 3/4/2026.
Mycology Collections Portal (MyCoPortal) https://www.mycoportal.org/portal/collections/index.php). Accessed 3/4/2026.
Occurrence
Common and widespread
Taxonomy
Kingdom
Fungi (Fungi)
Subkingdom
Dikarya
Phylum
Basidiomycota (Basidiomycete Fungi)
Subphylum
Agaricomycotina (Higher Basidiomycetes)
Class
Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms, Bracket Fungi, Puffballs, and Allies)
Order
Polyporales (Shelf Fungi)
Family
Polyporaceae (Bracket Fungi)
Genus
Ganoderma (Artist’s Brackets, Reishi, and Allies)
Subgenus
Elfvingia
Family
A recently published molecular phylogenetic analysis of the order Polyporales (Justo et al., 2017) resulted in a revised family-level classification of the order. The revised order moves Ganoderma and other genera formerly placed in the family Ganodermataceae into the family Polyporaceae.
Subordinate Taxa
Synonyms
Agaricus flabelliformis
Boletus applanatus
Boletus fomentarius subsp. applanatus
Boletus fomentarius var. applanatus
Elfvingia applanata
Elfvingia megaloma
Fomes applanatus
Fomes applanatus subsp. leucophaeus
Fomes applanatus var. leucophaeus
Fomes australis var. applanatus
Fomes concentricus
Fomes gelsicola
Fomes incrassatus
Fomes leucophaeus
Fomes longoporus
Fomes megaloma
Fomes nigroporus
Fomes stevenii
Fomes vegetus
Fomes vegetus var. leucostratus
Friesia applanata
Friesia vegeta
Ganoderma applanatum var. laevisporum
Ganoderma applanatum var. philippinense
Ganoderma applanatum var. vegetum
Ganoderma flabelliforme
Ganoderma gelsicola
Ganoderma incrassatum
Ganoderma leucophaeum
Ganoderma lipsiense var. merismoides
Ganoderma megaloma
Ganoderma vegetum
Phaeoporus applanatus
Phaeoporus vegetus
Placodes applanatus
Placodes rubiginosus
Placodes vegetus
Polyporus applanatus
Polyporus concentricus
Polyporus fomentarius var. applanatus
Polyporus incrassatus
Polyporus leucophaeus
Polyporus megaloma
Polyporus merismoides
Polyporus stevenii
Polyporus subganodermicus
Polyporus vegetus
Scindalma concentricum
Scindalma gelsicola
Scindalma incrassatum
Scindalma leucophaeum
Scindalma megaloma
Scindalma stevenii
Scindalma vegetum
Ungularia subganodermica
Common Names
Artist’s Bracket
Artist’s Conk
