#47 Ganoderma australe

Rainforest of Barrington Tops National Park provides ideal habitat for countless fungi species. Large woody bracket fungi jutting out from tree trunks are common. Ganoderma australe is one of the largest.

A Ganoderma australe fungi fruit body 300mm wide.
Notice the new layer under the old, cracking layer.

Ganoderma australe from family Ganodermataceae was previously known as G. applanatum. Fruit bodies can reach 600mm across on living trees causing white rot which will eventually kill the tree. It can live for several more years on the dead stump. It is found near the base of trees, often at the site of an old wound.

A new fertile layer is added each year. The minutely pored white undersurface readily bruises dark red-brown when scratched or bruised. Messages written on the white pore layer become permanent when the fungus dries, consequently it is sometimes referred to as 'Artist's Conk'. Spore print is brown.

This wood-decaying fungus is found in wet sclerophyll forest and rainforest on native or exotic trees. The shelf-like fruit bodies are generally fan or hoof-shaped, dry, brown, and often cracked. The brown bracket often has a white rounded margin.

Note the radial growth zones, and the fine cracks

This Ganoderma australe fruit body in the rainforest of Barrington Tops National Park on a living tree is about 300mm wide, and 50mm deep.

The white pored fertile undersurface immediately
bruised dark red-brown when I scratched it.

White rounded margin and radial colour zones
of fresh Ganoderma australe fruit body

And old, softened Ganoderma australe fungus fallen.

The discarded fungus has dark brown undersurface

Fresh Ganoderma australe with scratched pored surface

My sightings of Ganoderma australe

[This will be updated with new sightings]

Barrington Tops National Park, NSW - on living and dead rainforest trees, Nov 07, Jul 10.

Brunkerville, NSW - on dead wood Jun 2011.

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Woody polypores of the Ganodermataceae family have been used in Asian folk medicine for centuries. Collectively, the Ganoderma are being investigated for a variety of potential therapeutic benefits.

There is apparently potential for Ganoderma species in bioremediation. Bioremediation can be defined as any process that uses micro-organisms, fungi, green plants or their enzymes to return the natural environmental altered by contaminants to its original condition, eg: clean up of oil spills.

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Here is an excellent example of a Ganoderma australe bracket fungus with many, many layers added:

Bill Leithhead's Fungi Pages