Ganoderma pfeifferi

What You Should Know

Ganoderma pfeifferi has one very useful distinguishing feature: in late winter and spring the pore surface secretes a yellow, sweet-smelling waxy substance. (No other Ganoderma has such a waxy layer.) In addition, a thumbnail will easily indent the upper surface, which melts when a burning match is held against it. It is inedible but can use in medicine.

At maturity, the pores of these bracket fungi release clouds of chocolate-brown spores, which attach themselves to the upper surface of the cap (and the bark of the tree to which it is attached) thereby masking its true color.

This bracket fungus occurs in parts of mainland Europe, from the Iberian Peninsula up to southern Scandinavia. Ganoderma pfeifferi has also been reported from Indonesia.

G. pfeifferi contains unique sesquiterpenoids and other small molecular weight compounds. Some of these compounds exhibit remarkable antimicrobial activities in vitro and in vivo against multi-resistant bacteria, such as MRSA. Antiviral properties, UV-protection abilities and other activities are also known.

Other names: Beeswax Bracket, Lakownica czerwonaw (Poland).

Ganoderma pfeifferi Mushroom Identification

1. Fruitbody

   Perennial; growing to 30cm across and 5 to 12cm thick, broadly attached nearly always low down on the trunk of a mature tree. Upper surface is copper-red or purple, crust; concentrically grooved amd lumpy, often wavy toward a pale yellow resinous growing margin; cracking and eventually blackening when very old.

2. Fertile Surface

   The lower (fertile) surface is covered in roundish pale cream pores spaced 4 to 5 per mm. The pores turn darker cream and then ochre with irregular brown spots when fully mature.

3. Tubes and Pores

   The chocolate brown tube layer is up to 2cm thick. Tubes terminate in small roundish pores that are just perceptible to the naked eye; they are white when the fruitbody is young, turning cream, and eventually ochre with age or when bruised.

4. Flesh

   The flesh above the pore layer is chestnut brown.

5. Spores

   Ellipsoidal to ovoid with one end flattened, twin walled, 9-12 x 6-9µm; inner wall ornamented with many spiny warts.

6. Spore Print

   Chocolate brown.

7. Odor and Taste

   The pore surface is sweet-smelling, somewhat like honey or, so some say, like beeswax; taste not distinctive.

8. Habitat

   Mostly on Fagus (beeches) and occasionally Quercus (oaks); very rarely on other hardwood trees, nearly always near the base of the trunk.

9. Season

   This perennial bracket fungus releases spores in summer and autumn, but the tough fruitbodies persist for several years.

Ganoderma pfeifferi Look-Alikes

1. Ganoderma resinaceum

   Oozes a resin when cut.

2. Ganoderma applanatum

   Has much smaller spores

Ganoderma pfeifferi Taxonomy and Etymology

The species was described in 1889 by Italian mycologist Giacopo Bresadola (1847 - 1929), who gave it the scientific name Ganoderma pfeifferi by which this bracket fungus is still generally known today.

From the Greek Ganos-, meaning brightness or polished to a bright sheen, and -derma meaning skin, comes the genus name Ganoderma - a reference to the lacquered appearance of the caps of these bracket fungi.

The specific epithet pfeifferi may be in honor of Ludwig Karl Georg Pfeiffer (1805 – 1877), German physician and botanist.

Ganoderma pfeifferi Synonyms

1. Ganoderma applanatum var. laccatum (Kalchbr.) Rea

2. Polyporus laccatus Kalchbr.

3. Fomes laccatus (Kalchbr.) Sacc.

Sources:

Photo 1 - Author: bloodworm (Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported)

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Photo 5 - Author: Peter O'Connor aka anemoneprojectors (Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic)