Content
- 1 Description of the false tinder fungus
- 2 Where and how does it grow
- 3 The influence of false tinder fungi on wood
- 4 Is the false tinder fungus edible or not?
- 5 Doubles and their differences
- 6 How to distinguish a false tinder fungus from a real one
- 7 The use of false tinder fungus in folk medicine
- 8 Use in everyday life
- 9 Conclusion
False tinder fungus (burnt tinder fungus) is a name that refers to a number of species of fungi - representatives of the genus Phellinus of the Hymenochaetae family. Their fruiting bodies grow on trees, usually on one or more species.This factor often determines their names: there are pine, spruce, fir, aspen, and plum false tinder fungi. Phellinus igniarius (Phellinus trivialis) is the only species to which the term “false polypore” applies without any qualifications.
Adult hoof-shaped false polypore
Description of the false tinder fungus
Phellinus burnt forms perennial fruiting bodies that grow from the bark of an infected tree. Young fruiting bodies are often spherical, colored in gray, ocher shades. Over time, their shape becomes disc-shaped, hoof-shaped or cushion-shaped, and acquires a dark brown, black-brown color. The leg is absent or in its infancy. The hat is 5-40 cm in diameter and 10-12 cm thick, concentrically ribbed. Its uneven, matte surface is covered with a dark, deeply cracked crust. The outer edge remains brown and velvety even in very old fruiting bodies. As it ages, algae and bryophyte microorganisms settle on the mushroom, giving it a green tint.
Disc-shaped false polypore with pronounced ridges of annual growth and deep cracks on the surface
The trama is tough, woody, reddish-brown, and consists of many short, tightly packed skeletal hyphae. The hymenophore has brown tubes and gray-brown or red-brown pores. Every year the mushroom grows with a new porous layer, and the old one is overgrown.
Where and how does it grow
Fellinus burnt is widespread in Europe and North America. Grows on trunks and skeletal branches of willow, birch, alder, aspen, maple, beech, equally affecting dead and living wood. Settles singly or in groups in deciduous and mixed forests, parks, squares. Fruits from May to October.
A small group of false tinder fungi
The influence of false tinder fungi on wood
Fellinus burnt is a very aggressive parasite that causes intense white heart rot. Fungal spores penetrate the wood in places where the bark is damaged, where branches are broken, and germinate. As it grows, the fungus feeds on the lingin and fiber of trees and damages their core. Extensive wood decay occurs along the trunk and branches. External signs of infection are whitish or yellowish stripes and spots, which subsequently form yellow-white rot with black closed lines and clusters of reddish mycelium. But often the disease is asymptomatic. Rot penetrates into the core, stretching throughout the entire trunk, without outwardly revealing itself. Weakened wood becomes fragile, defenseless against the effects of winds, rains, and drought. The fungus itself can live on a dead, dried tree for several years. Polypores are the main cause of death of trees in forests and park areas of cities. Losses can reach 100%.
Young false polypore
Is the false tinder fungus edible or not?
False tinder fungus is an inedible mushroom. It is very difficult to remove from wood and will require a saw or axe. The mushroom tissue has a bitter or bitter-sour taste and a hard, dense, woody structure, which makes it completely unsuitable for food. It does not contain toxins.For centuries, the indigenous people of North America have burned it, sifted the ashes, mixed it with tobacco and smoked or chewed it.
Doubles and their differences
Other species of the genus are most similar to Phellinus burnt. All of them are inedible and are used for medicinal purposes. The external resemblance is so strong that it is often very difficult to determine their species. The following varieties of false tinder fungus are commonly found, presented below.
Poplar (Phellinus populicola)
Grows on poplars and aspens high on the trunk, usually solitary. Causes rotten fibrous rot. It differs from the main variety in thinner skeletal hyphae, lighter and lighter trama.
Aspen (Phellinus tremulae)
Distributed within the range of aspen, sometimes affecting poplars. It differs from the false tinder fungus itself in the smaller size of the fruiting body. It is distinguished by a beveled cap with a roll-shaped edge. Leads the tree to death within 10-20 years.
Blackening (Phellinus nigricans)
A polymorphic species, characterized by hoof-shaped, cantilever-shaped, cushion-shaped fruiting bodies with a well-defined ridge-like edge and small cracks on the surface. It affects birch, less often oak, alder, and rowan.
Alder (Phellinus alni)
The fruiting bodies are shelf-shaped, slightly flattened, with a tubercle at the point of attachment to the substrate. The cap is painted in dark, often blackish-gray colors, often with a rusty stripe along the edge and rare transverse cracks.
Oak (Fellinus robustus)
Another name is powerful tinder fungus. Prefers to grow on oaks, but is sometimes found on chestnut, hazel, and maple. It is distinguished by a yellowish-brown hymenophore with larger pores and a pubescent surface.
Hartig's polypore (Phellinus hartigii)
Grows on coniferous trees, mainly fir. The fruiting bodies are large, formed in the lower part of the trunk, no taller than human height, oriented to the north.
How to distinguish a false tinder fungus from a real one
The true polypore (Fomes fomentarius) is in many ways similar to burnt Phellinus: it settles on the same tree species and is also a wood destroyer. But there are still differences between real and false tinder fungus. The original surface has no cracks and is painted in gray, sometimes beige, tones. Trama is cork-shaped, softer, and has a pleasant fruity aroma. The mushroom is easier to separate from the trunk. The hymenophore is light gray or whitish, and darkens when damaged. The false tinder fungus has no smell. The spore-bearing layer changes color depending on the season: during winter it fades, becomes gray, and by the beginning of summer it turns completely brown.
The tinder is real
The use of false tinder fungus in folk medicine
The fruit bodies of Phellinus burnt contain substances that have antioxidant, anticancer, antiviral, hepatoprotective, immunostimulating and immunomodulatory activities, and are also capable of regulating blood sugar levels. In Chinese medicine, 20-30-year-old mushrooms that grew on 100-year-old trees are especially highly valued. Their age is determined by their size and growth rings. The caps are ground into powder and water and alcohol infusions are made from them. Tree fungus extract is included in a number of cosmetic products for face, body, and hair care.
Use in everyday life
The false tinder fungus is practically not used in everyday life. Once upon a time, woody mushrooms with porous tissue were used as tinder to light a fire in camping conditions. This variety is unsuitable for this purpose due to the density of the tram. Mushroom caps are sometimes used to create unusual decorative crafts.
Conclusion
The false tinder fungus is a full-fledged inhabitant of the forest, whose life activity involves both benefit and harm. By settling on old, weakened trees, it accelerates their destruction and transformation into nutrient mass for other plants. By attacking young, healthy trees, it weakens them and leads to death. To protect plants in parks and gardens, it is important to take preventive measures: promptly treat damaged areas, whiten trunks, monitor their health, and keep the immune system in good shape.
