Willow Bracket

(Phellinus igniarius)

Conservation Status
Willow Bracket
 
  IUCN Red List

not listed

 
  NatureServe

not listed

 
  Minnesota

not listed

 
           
           
           
 
Description
 
 

Willow Bracket is common and widespread fungus. It occurs in Europe, Asia, and North America, and has few scattered records south of the equator. It is common in Minnesota. It causes white trunk rot on hardwood trees. It turns the wood into a soft, white, spongy mass. It infects twenty-one genera of hardwoods. It is most common on willow, but it also infects birch, poplar, alder, apple, ash, black walnut, buckthorn, cherry, hazel, ironwood, maple, and mountain ash.

The fruiting body (conk) is a 2 to 8 wide, ¾ to 4¾ thick polypore. It is hoof-shaped, rounded and curved downward on top, flat or slightly angled upward below. There is no stalk.

The upper surface is brown and hairy when young, soon becoming gray and hairless. Older specimens are black and often cracked. The margin is brown and velvety on actively growing conks.

The underside is light or dark brown. The pore tubes are distinctly layered (stratified), one layer developing each year. Older layers often become buried.

The flesh is hard, woody, and dark brown or rusty brown. When cut in cross section there are white lines (mycelial threads) running through the flesh and older, buried tubes.

An individual conk can survive for years, forming a new ridge or furrow each year. It is usually found on the trunk of a living tree.

 
     
 

Similar Species

 
 

Aspen Bracket (Phellinus tremulae) in Minnesota infects only quaking aspen and bigtooth aspen. It is the only hoof fungus found on aspen.

Hoof Fungus (Fomes fomentarius) older specimens are lighter and uncracked above. The margin and undersurface are whitish and velvety on actively growing conks. The pores are not stratified. The flesh in cross section does not show white mycelial threads.

 
     
 
Habitat and Hosts
 
 

Hardwoods, including willow, birch, poplar, alder, apple, ash, black walnut, buckthorn, cherry, hazel, ironwood, maple, and mountain ash.

 
     
 
Ecology
 
 

Season

 
 

Year round

 
     
 
Distribution
 
 

Distribution Map

 

Sources

4, 7, 26, 29, 30, 77.

 
  6/9/2022      
         
 

Occurrence

 
 

Common

 
         
 
Taxonomy
 
  Kingdom Fungi (fungi)  
  Subkingdom Dikarya  
  Phylum Basidiomycota (club fungi)  
  Subphylum Agaricomycotina (jelly fungi, yeasts, and mushrooms)  
  Class Agaricomycetes (mushrooms, bracket fungi, puffballs, and allies)  
 

Order

Hymenochaetales  
 

Family

Hymenochaetaceae  
 

Genus

Phellinus  
       
 

Synonyms

 
 

 

 
       
 

Common Names

 
 

False Tinder Fungus

Fire Sponge

Hardwood Trunk Rot

Willow Bracket

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Glossary

Conk

A shelf-like, bracket-shaped fruiting body of certain fungi.

 

Mycelium

The vegetative part of a fungus; consisting of a mass of branching, thread-like hyphae, through which a fungus absorbs nutrients from its environment; and excluding the fruiting, reproductive structure.

 

Polypore

A bracket fungi. A fungi that produces its spores in pores on the underside of a woody fruiting body (conk).

 
 
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MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos
 
 

Conks

 
    Willow Bracket   Willow Bracket  
           
 

Pore Surface

 
    Willow Bracket      

 

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Other Videos
 
  All about Meshima mushroom (Phellinus igniarius) | "false Chaga"
Garrett Kopp
 
   
 
About

Apr 19, 2022

From identification to harvest to brewing tea, learn all about Meshima mushroom (also known as false chaga, willow bracket, fire sponge, and other common names). Introducing Phellinus igniarius

 
  Northern Red Belt and Phellinus igniarius one tree. Northern Nova Scotia.
TheDriftingSpore
 
   
 
About

Apr 24, 2022

April 24/22 Northern Nova Scotia

 
  Lighting (false) tinder fungus without preparation
pigsnuck
 
   
 
About

Uploaded on Sep 1, 2011

I explain the difference between true and false tinder fungus, and test my theory that false tinder fungus doesn't require prior preparation.

I have been told in the past that false tinder fungus must be boiled with the ash of a plane tree or soaked in order to take a spark. I wanted to know if I could simply dry out false tinder fungus in the field and use it as is.

   

 

Camcorder


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