Lingzhi (Reishi)

Ganoderma lucidum

Deciduous and mixed forests. Summer, autumn.

A rather beautiful and interesting bracket. Fruiting bodies annual, in the form of round, semicircular or fan-shaped caps attached to the substrate by a lateral or eccentric stem, 5 - 20 cm across. Surface of the cap and stem yellowish-red, chestnut-coloured, shiny, as if varnished. Characteristic features: fruiting bodies reddish-brown, usually with a long stem. Grows most often on black alder and spruce stumps. Not rare. Causes a white rot of the wood. In Japan this fungus is known as „Reishi“ and in China as „Ling-zhi“; it is used in medicine. Protected.