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False tinder fungus (burnt tinder fungus) is a name referring to a number of varieties of fungi – representatives of the genus Phellinus of the Hymenochete family. Their fruiting bodies grow on trees, usually 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 variety to which the term “false tinder fungus” refers without any reservations.
Adult false tinder hoof-shaped
Description of false tinder fungus
Phellinus burnt forms perennial fruiting bodies growing 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 corrugated. 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 fungus, giving it a green tint.
Disc-shaped false tinder fungus with pronounced ridges of annual growth and deep cracks on the surface
Trama is tough, woody, reddish-brown, composed of many short, densely 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 overgrows.
Where and how to grow
Phellinus burnt is widespread in Europe, 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. Fruiting from May to October.
Small group of false tinder fungus
The effect of false tinder fungus on wood
Phellinus scalded is a very aggressive parasite that causes intense white heart rot. The spores of the fungus penetrate the wood in places where the bark is damaged, where the branches are broken and germinate. During growth, the fungus feeds on lingin and tree fiber, damaging their core. Extensive decay of wood occurs along the trunk and branches. External 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 into the core, stretching along the entire trunk, outwardly not revealing itself. Weakened wood becomes fragile, defenseless against the effects of winds, rains, droughts. The fungus itself can live on a dead, withered tree for several more years. Polypores are the main cause of death of trees in forests and park areas of cities. Losses can reach 100%.
Young false tinder fungus
Edible fungus false tinder fungus or not
False tinder fungus is an inedible mushroom. It is very difficult to remove it from a tree and will require a saw or an axe. The tissue of the fungus has a bitter or bitter-sour taste and a tough, dense, woody texture, making it completely unsuitable for food. It does not contain toxins. For centuries, Native Americans have burned it, sieved the ashes, mixed them with tobacco, and smoked or chewed them.
Twins and their differences
Other varieties of the genus are most similar to the burnt fellinus. All of them are inedible, used for medical purposes. The 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, aspens high on the trunk, usually singly. Causes fibrous rot. It differs from the main variety in thinner skeletal hyphae, lighter and lighter trama.
Osinovy (Phellinus tremulae)
Distributed within the growth of aspen, sometimes affects poplars. It differs from the actual false tinder fungus in the smaller size of the fruiting body. It features a bevelled hat with a rolled edge. Leads the tree to death within 10-20 years.
cherneyuschi (Phellinus nigricans)
A polymorphic species characterized by hoof-shaped, cantilevered, cushion-shaped fruiting bodies with a well-defined ridge-like margin and fine 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.
Дубовый (Fellinus robustus)
Another name is powerful tinder fungus. Prefers to grow on oaks, but sometimes found on chestnut, hazel, maple. It is distinguished by a yellowish-brown hymenophore with larger pores and a pubescent surface.
Phellinus hartigii (Phellinus hartigii)
It grows on coniferous trees, mainly on fir. Fruiting bodies are large, formed in the lower part of the trunk, no taller than human growth, oriented to the north.
How to distinguish a false tinder fungus from a real one
The real tinder fungus (Fomes fomentarius) is in many ways similar to the burnt fellinus: it settles on the same tree species, and is also a wood destroyer. But there are still differences between the true and false tinder fungus. The surface of 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 odor. The spore-bearing layer changes color depending on the season: during the winter it fades, turns gray, and completely turns brown by the beginning of summer.
Tinder real
The use of false tinder fungus in traditional medicine
The fruit bodies of calcined fellinus contain substances that have antioxidant, anticancer, antiviral, hepatoprotective, immunostimulating and immunomodulatory activities, as well as the ability to regulate blood sugar levels. In Chinese medicine, 20-30-year-old mushrooms grown on 100-year-old trees are especially highly valued. Their age is determined by size and growth rings. Hats are ground into powder, water and alcohol infusions are made from them. Tree fungus extract is part of a number of cosmetic products for face, body and hair care.
Household use
False tinder fungus is practically not used in everyday life. Once upon a time, tree mushrooms with a porous tissue were used as tinder – to light a fire in field 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
A false tinder fungus is a full-fledged inhabitant of the forest, whose vital activity contains both benefit and harm. Settling on old, weakened trees, it accelerates their destruction and transformation into a nutrient mass for other plants. By infecting young, healthy trees, it weakens them and leads to death. To protect plants in parks and gardens, it is important to take preventive measures: treat damaged areas in a timely manner, whiten trunks, monitor their health, and keep the immune system in good shape.
