Ganoderma applanatum

What You Should Know

Ganoderma applanatum is a common white rot fungus found on living and dead trees. It produces a long-lasting conk or fruiting structure and is also known as the Artist's Conk due to the surface being used for artwork. The fungus is used for medicinal purposes in traditional Asian medicines. It can be found in almost every state in the US and every Canadian province throughout the year, often growing knobbly on its host. Although it is not suitable for direct consumption due to its hard and woody flesh, it is used to make tea, tinctures, and as a survival kit for starting outdoor fires. Slices of the fruiting bodies are used in fermented foods to enhance their flavor. In Asia, it is blended or cold-pressed with water to make ganoderma drinks.

Higher primates, such as gorillas, have been observed eating Ganoderma applanatum for self-medication. In the book Gorillas in the Mist, Dian Fossey describes how younger gorillas struggle to access the fungus, while older gorillas carry it away from the source to protect it from dominant individuals. The fungus also attracts insects, such as the midge Agathomyia wankowiczii and the forked fungus beetle Bolitotherus cornutus, which lay their eggs on the fruiting body or live inside it. The fly Hirtodrosophila mycetophaga mates on the underside of dark fungi.

Other names: Artist's Conk, German (Flacher Lackporling, Malerpilz).

Ganoderma applanatum Mushroom Identification

1. Cap

   3.94 to 11.81 inches (10 to 30 cm) across; 3.15 to 5.51 inches (8 to 14 cm) deep; more or less semicircular in outline, or irregular; surface with a dull, unvarnished outer crust, often furrowed in "zones," brownish to grayish brown; bald.

2. Pore Surface

   White to grayish or pale brownish; bruising yellow to brownish, then dark brown; becoming dirty brown in age; with 4–6 tiny, circular pores per mm; tubes in annual layers, separated by brown tissue, each layer 0.20 to 0.79 inches (0.5 to 2 cm) deep, with older layers often stuffed with white mycelial material.

3. Stem

   Usually absent; if present, lateral and very stubby.

4. Flesh

   The flesh is leathery, cork-like in consistency, and grayish to brownish with whitish areas.

5. Odor and Taste

   Not distinctive.

6. Spore Print

   Brown to orangish brown.

7. Habitat

   This fungus can grow on decaying hardwood logs and stumps, or from wounds on injured trees. It can cause a white to straw-colored rot of both the sapwood and heartwood. It's found on most species of hardwoods, and is common and widely distributed in North America. The fungus can be saprobic or sometimes parasitic, and it grows alone or in groups. Grows throughout the year in sometimes very different aspects and colors depending on the season.

8. Microscopic Features

   Spores 6–9 x 4–5 µm after the collapse of the hyaline vesicular appendix; more or less ellipsoid, with a truncated end; appearing double-walled, with a series of "pillars" between the walls; finely stippled; inamyloid; brown in KOH. Cystidia and setae not found. Hyphal system trimitic. Clamp connections present.

Ganoderma applanatum Look-Alikes

1. Ganoderma australe

   Has a darker upper surface, is typically thicker, and has slightly larger pores and spores.

2. Ganoderma resinaceum

   Has a thicker white margin compared to Ganoderma applanatum and releases yellow resin when broken.

3. Fomes fomentarius

   Has significantly thicker fruiting bodies.

4. Fomitopsis pinicola

   Has a mostly conspicuous red-edged growth zone on the bulging cap edge and is rather squat in shape.

5. Ganoderma lobatum

   Has a thin cap with an upper surface that is somewhat softer (it can be punctured with one's thumb). It grows a new cap-like structure beneath the previous year's growth, rather than adding a tube layer beneath the previous year's layer.

6. Ganoderma brownii

   It has a hoof-shaped fruiting body and larger spores. Grows on California hardwoods (especially laurel).

Ganoderma applanatum Uses

1. Medicinal purposes

   Ganoderma applanatum has been used in traditional medicine for centuries to treat various health conditions, including digestive problems, respiratory issues, and inflammation. Recent research suggests that it may have anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties.

2. Dye

   The fungus produces a yellowish-brown dye that has been used in traditional textile dyeing.

3. Fire starter

   The dried fungus can be used as a fire starter due to its ability to catch fire easily and burn slowly.

4. Art and decoration

   The shiny surface and unique shape of the fungus make it a popular material for art and decoration.

5. Tinctures and extracts

   Ganoderma applanatum can be used to make tinctures and extracts, which can be added to food or drinks as a natural supplement.

Ganoderma applanatum Health Benefits

1. Immune Support

   One study using an animal model was employed to test Ganoderma applanatum’s ability to support immune health. The study was performed by giving rainbow trout aqueous extract forms of Ganoderma applanatum. In this trial, the fish were fet 250, 500, and 1,000 mg extract/kg diet 4 times per day. After 45 days, the results found that the numbers of red and white blood cells, as well as hemoglobin, hematocrit, monocytes, and neutrophil levels increased significantly. The end results suggested the potential ability of the Artist’s Conk’s ability to activate immunologic parameters in the treated fish, when applied in extract form.

2. Cancer

   The Artist’s Conk mushroom contains lectins, which may have a link to fighting cancer. One study, in particular, focused on testing the purified lectins from Ganoderma applanatum’s ability to fight HT-29 colon cancer cells. The results found that the purified lectins from Ganoderma applanatum to contain cytotoxic and proapoptotic activities against HT-29 colon adenocarcinoma cells. What this means is that the lectins are toxic to cancer cells, and may assist in breaking them down.

3. Antioxidants

   When extracted and used as a tea, the Artist’s Conk has been found to have antioxidant properties. One study researching Ganoderma applanatum in combination with tea leaf extracts found the result to have an extract that exerts a profound positive effect on the level of phenolic-type antioxidants.

Recipe: Ganoderma applanatum Tincture

Ingredients

1. Dried Ganoderma applanatum mushrooms

2. Vodka (100 proof)

Instructions

1. Fill a quart or half-gallon canning jar halfway to the top with the dried mushrooms.

2. Add the vodka, filling the jar to the top. Label it with the date and what you're making.

3. Cap the jar, and keep it in a warm area away from the sunlight for 4 to 6 weeks. Try to remember to shake it daily.

4. After about a month strain the mixture using cheesecloth, coffee filters, or a strainer. The method you use will depend on the size of your reishi mushroom pieces. Try straining a few times to remove all the solids.

Recipe: Ganoderma applanatum Tea

Ingredients

1. Dried mushrooms – 3-4 grams

2. Water – 4 cups

Instructions

1. Bring the water to a boil in stainless steel or ceramic pot. Don't use aluminum for such a prolonged boiling process.

2. Add the mushroom pieces. Reduce the heat until the mixture is simmering, not outright boiling. Let it simmer for 2 hours.

3. Remove from the heat, strain, and set aside. Allow the liquid to cool a little, as it's quite hot. You can repeat the process with the strained pieces until the resulting extraction is no longer bitter or colored.

Ganoderma applanatum Taxonomy and Etymology

In 1800, Christiaan Hendrik Persoon described this polypore fungus and named it Boletus applanatus. However, in 1887, the French mycologist Narcisse Theophile Patouillard transferred it to the genus Ganoderma, giving it the current scientific name Ganoderma applanatum.

The word Ganoderma comes from the Greek words Ganos, meaning brightness or shining, and derma, meaning skin, although not all Ganoderma fungi have shiny surfaces. The name Ganoderma refers to the fungus's shiny appearance. The specific epithet applanatum means flattened or planar in shape.

Ganoderma applanatum Synonyms and Varietes

• Boletus applanatus Pers., 1799

• Boletus fomentarius var. applanatus (Pers.) Pers., 1801

• Boletus lipsiensis Batsch (1786), Elenchus fungorum, continuatio prima, p. 183, tab. 25, fig. 130

• Boletus lipsiensis Batsch, 1786

• Elfvingia applanata (Persoon) P. Karsten (1889), Bidrag till kännedom af Finlands natur och folk, 48, p. 334

• Elfvingia lipsiensis (Batsch) Murrill (1903), Bulletin of the Torrey botanical Club, 30(5), p. 297

• Elfvingia megaloma (Léveillé) Murrill (1903), Bulletin of the Torrey botanical Club, 30(5), p. 300

• Fomes applanatum (Persoon) Gillet (1877), Les hyménomycètes, ou description de tous les champignons (fungi) qui croissent en France, p. 686

• Fomes applanatum var. leucophaeus(Montagne) Cleland & Cheel (1917), Journal and proceedings of the royal Society of the New South Wales, 51(20), p. 518

• Fomes applanatus (Pers.) Gillet, 1878

• Fomes concentricus (Cooke) Cooke (1885), Grevillea, 14(69), p. 21

• Fomes gelsicola Berlese (1889), Malpighia, rassegna mensuale di botanica, 3, p. 371, tab. 12

• Fomes incrassatus (Berkeley) Cooke (1885), Grevillea, 14(69), p. 21

• Fomes leucophaeus (Montagne) Cooke (1885), Grevillea, 14(69), p. 18

• Fomes longoporus Lloyd, 1920

• Fomes megaloma (Léveillé) Cooke (1885), Grevillea, 14(69), p. 18

• Fomes nigriporus Lázaro Ibiza, 1916

• Fomes stevenii (Léveillé) P. Karsten (1882), Bidrag till kännedom af Finlands natur och folk, 37, p. 75

• Friesia applanata (Pers.) Lázaro Ibiza, 1916

• Ganoderma applanatum (Pers.) Patouillard 1887

• Ganoderma flabelliforme Murrill (1903), The journal of mycology, 9(2), p. 94

• Ganoderma gelsicola (Berlese) Saccardo (1916), Flora italica cryptogama. Pars 1: Fungi. Hymeniales, 1(15), p. 1010

• Ganoderma incrassatum (Berkeley) Bresadola (1915), Hedwigia, 56(1-6), p. 295

• Ganoderma leucophaeum (Montagne) Patouillard (1889), Bulletin de la Société mycologique de France, 5(3), p. 73

• Ganoderma lionnetii Rolland 1901

• Ganoderma lipsiense (Batsch) G.F. Atk., 1908

• Ganoderma lipsiense var. merismoides (Corda) Saccardo (1916), Flora italica cryptogama. Pars 1: Fungi. Hymeniales, 1(15), p. 1010

• Ganoderma rubiginosa (Schrader) Bresadola (1897), Atti dell'imperial regia Accademia di scienze, letter ed arti degli Agiati in Rovereto, serie 3, 3, p. 34

• Phaeoporus applanatus (Pers.) J. Schröt., 1888

• Placodes applanatus (Persoon) Quélet (1886), Enchiridion fungorum in Europa media et praesertim in Gallia vigentium, p. 171

• Polyporus applanatus (Persoon) Wallroth (1833), Flora cryptogamica germaniae, 2, p. 591

• Polyporus concentricus Cooke (1880), Grevillea, 9(49), p. 13

• Polyporus fomentarius var. ß applanatus(Persoon) Persoon (1825), Mycologia europaea, seu complet omnium fungorum in variis europaeae regionibus detectorum enumeratio, 2, p. 80

• Polyporus incrassatus Berkeley (1878) [1877], The journal of the linnean Society, botany, 16(89), p. 41

• Polyporus leucophaeus Montagne (1856), Sylloge generum specierumque plantarum cryptogamarum, p. 157

• Polyporus lipsiensis (Batsch) E.H.L. Krause (1928), Basidiomycetum Rostochiensium, p. 54

• Polyporus megaloma Léveillé (1846), Annales des sciences naturelles, botanique, série 3, 5, p. 128

• Polyporus merismoides Corda (1837), in Sturm, Deutschlands flora, Abt. III, die pilze Deutschlands, 3(14-15), p. 139, tab. 63

• Polyporus rubiginosus (Schrader) Fries (1838) [1836-38], Epicrisis systematis mycologici, p. 460

• Polyporus stevenii Léveillé (1842), in Demidoff, Voyage dans la Russie Méridionale, 2, p. 91, tab. 2

• Polyporus subganodermicus (Lázaro Ibiza) Saccardo & Trotter (1925), Sylloge fungorum omnium hucusque cognitorum, 23, p. 369

• Scindalma concentricum (Cooke) Kuntze (1898), Revisio generum plantarum, 3, p. 518

• Scindalma gelsicola (Berlese) Kuntze (1898), Revisio generum plantarum, 3, p. 518

• Scindalma incrassatum (Berkeley) Kuntze (1898), Revisio generum plantarum, 3, p. 518

• Scindalma leucophaeum (Montagne) Kuntze (1898), Revisio generum plantarum, 3, p. 519

• Scindalma lipsiense (Batsch) Kuntze (1898), Revisio generum plantarum, 3, p. 518

• Scindalma megaloma (Léveillé) Kuntze (1898), Revisio generum plantarum, 3, p. 519

• Scindalma stevenii (Léveillé) Kuntze (1898), Revisio generum plantarum, 3, p. 519

• Trametes rubiginosus (Schrader) Fries (1849), Summa vegetabilium Scandinaviae, 2, p. 564

• Ungularia subganodermica Lázaro Ibiza (1916), Revista de la real Academia de ciencias exactas, fiscicas y naturales de Madrid, 14, p. 674

Sources:

Photo 1 - Author: Michel Langeveld (Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International)

Photo 2 - Author: Michel Langeveld (Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International)

Photo 3 - Author: Syrio (Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International)

Photo 4 - Author: Rudolphous (Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International)

Photo 5 - Author: George Chernilevsky (Public Domain)