Content
- 1 Description of the false tinder
- 2 Where and how it grows
- 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 from a real one
- 7 The use of false tinder fungus in traditional medicine
- 8 Household use
- 9 Conclusion
False tinder fungus (burnt tinder fungus) is a name related to a number of varieties of mushrooms - representatives of the Fellinus genus of the Gimenochete 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, plum false tinder fungi. Phellinus igniarius (Phellinus trivialis) is the only species to which the definition of "false tinder fungus" refers without any reservations.
Hoof-shaped adult tinder fungus
Description of the false tinder
Burnt fellinus forms perennial fruiting bodies that grow from the bark of an infected tree. Young fruiting bodies are often spherical, painted in gray, ocher shades. Over time, their shape becomes disc-shaped, hoof-shaped or cushion-shaped, acquires a dark brown, black-brown color. The leg is missing or in its infancy. The hat is 5-40 cm in diameter and 10-12 cm thick, concentrically grooved. 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. With age, algae and bryophytes settle on the mushroom, giving it a green tint.
Disc-shaped false tinder fungus with pronounced annual growth ridges and deep cracks on the surface
Trama is tough, woody, reddish brown, composed of many short, densely packed skeletal hyphae. The hymenophore is composed of brown tubes and gray-brown or red-brown pores. Every year the mushroom grows with a new porous layer, and the old one overgrows.
Where and how it grows
Fellinus burnt is widespread in Europe and North America. It grows on the trunks and skeletal branches of willow, birch, alder, aspen, maple, beech, equally affecting dead and living wood. It settles singly or in groups in deciduous and mixed forests, parks, squares. Fruiting from May to October.
Small group of false tinder fungi
The influence of false tinder fungi on wood
Pellinus burnt is a very aggressive parasite that causes intense white heart rot. The spores of the fungus penetrate into the wood where the bark is damaged, where the branches are broken, and germinate. During growth, the fungus feeds on lingin and fiber of trees, damaging their core. Extensive decay of wood occurs along the trunk and branches. Outward signs of infection are whitish or yellowish stripes and spots, which subsequently form a yellow-white rot with black closed lines and clusters of reddish mycelium. But often the disease is asymptomatic.Rot penetrates the core, stretching along the entire trunk, outwardly not revealing itself in any way. Weakened wood becomes fragile, defenseless against the effects of winds, rain, drought. The mushroom itself can live for several more years on a dead, withered tree. Polypores are the main cause of tree death in forests and city parks. Losses can be up to 100%.
Young false tinderpop
Is the false tinder fungus edible or not
False tinder fungus is an inedible mushroom. It is very difficult to remove it from the tree and will require a saw or ax. The mushroom tissue has a bitter or bitter-sour taste and a tough, dense, woody texture, 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 with tobacco and smoked or chewed.
Doubles and their differences
The other species of the genus are most similar to fellinus burnt. All of them are inedible, used for medical purposes. The external similarity is so strong that it is often very difficult to determine their species. The following types of false tinder fungus are commonly found, presented below.
Poplar (Phellinus populicola)
Grows on poplars, aspens high on the trunk, usually singly. Causes rotten filamentous rot. It differs from the main variety in thinner skeletal hyphae, lighter and lighter tram.
Aspen (Phellinus tremulae)
Distributed within the growth of aspen, sometimes it affects poplars. It differs from the actual false tinder fungus in the smaller size of the fruiting body. It features a beveled cap with a roller-like edge. Leads a tree to death within 10-20 years.
Blackening (Phellinus nigricans)
Polymorphic species, characterized by hoof-shaped, cantilevered, pillow-shaped fruiting bodies with a well-defined ridge-like edge and small cracks on the surface. It affects birch, less often oak, alder, mountain ash.
Alder (Phellinus alni)
Fruit 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. It prefers to grow on oaks, but sometimes it is found on chestnut, hazel, maple. It is distinguished by a yellowish-brown hymenophore with larger pores and a pubescent surface.
Tinder Gartig (Phellinus hartigii)
Grows on conifers, mainly on fir. Fruit bodies are large, formed in the lower part of the trunk, no higher than human height, oriented to the north.
How to distinguish a false tinder from a real one
True polypore (Fomes fomentarius) is in many ways similar to burnt fellinus: it settles on the same tree species, and is also a wood destroyer. But there are still differences between the real and the false tinder fungus. The original has no cracks, it is painted in gray, sometimes beige tones. Trama is corky, softer, has a pleasant fruity aroma. The fungus 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 the winter it fades, turns gray, and turns brown by the beginning of summer.
Tinder real
The use of false tinder fungus in traditional medicine
The fruiting bodies of burnt Pellinus contain substances with antioxidant, anticancer, antiviral, hepatoprotective, immunostimulating and immunomodulatory activity, as well as being able to regulate blood sugar levels. In Chinese medicine, 20-30-year-old mushrooms growing on 100-year-old trees are especially highly prized. Their age is determined by their size and growth rings.The hats are ground into powder, they are made of water and alcohol infusions. An extract from a tree mushroom is a part of a number of cosmetics for face, body and hair care.
Household use
False tinder fungus is practically not used in everyday life. Once upon a time, woody mushrooms with a porous fabric were used as tinder - to light a fire in field conditions. This variety is not suitable 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 vital activity contains both benefits and harm. By settling on old, weakened trees, it accelerates their destruction and transformation into nutrient mass for other plants. Striking young, healthy trees, it weakens them and leads to death. To protect plants in parks and gardens, it is important to take preventive measures: timely treat damaged areas, whitewash the trunks, monitor their health, and keep the immune system in good shape.
