Ganoderma applanatum

Many people have seen Ganoderma applanatum at one time or another; it is widely distributed and fairly common—typically seen at the bases of hardwood stumps or on hardwood logs. It is sometimes known as the "artist's fungus," since its white to gray pore surface bruises brown and retains the bruising for years if the mushroom is picked and brought inside. I have seen very intricate and beautiful etchings on Ganoderma applanatum, in craft stores and yard sales. My own attempts at Ganoderma art, however, have not been very beautiful—unless you call abusive woodland notes for my mushrooming buddies "beautiful."

Distinguishing features for Ganoderma applanatum include its unvarnished, furrowed and lumpy, dull brown cap surface; its white to grayish pore surface, which bruises brown; and its woody, brownish or cinnamon flesh. It is perennial, and individuals can develop for many years by producing a new spore-producing tube layer beneath the previous year's layer (see the sixth illustration) source