A Monster "Hoof fungi" Forems Formentarius

[RAPPLEBY2000]

:Wow: :Wow: :Wow: :Wow:
A Monster Forems Formentarius (Hoof Fungi), found in Norfolk!

(hard hat sat on it for scale)
I think the responsible thing to do, is allow it to continue to grow and create future spores!
Therefore I'm not going to tell anyone where i saw it, you never know who is watching and may abuse delights like this. but there were several more smaller palm-sized harvestable ones in the area.
suffice to say the so called rare fungi does grow very well in Norfolk!

 

[MartinK9]

Now that is worthy of surviving for future generations

 

[T1tch]

That is beutiful specamin - truly worthy of continuing it's existance

 

[Toddy]

Yep ,
besides, it'd be a real beggar to cut up anyway The last big one I got took a saw to open it up

atb,
Toddy

 

[Hammock_man]

If thats a mushroom, I dont want to meet the wild boar the bacons coming from!!!

 

[RAPPLEBY2000]

I wish i could have taken a 3D picture as the scale is difficult to gauge.
basically it is big enough to sit on!
2.5 ft by 1ft

 

[addo]

Looks like Ganoderma, was it growing on beech. If so its got a better trauma layer than Fomes (False tinder fungus) and much more of it.
You can cut as much off as you like as its only the fruiting body and will produce new brackets each year. Dont forget the fungus kills the tree so its not always good to encourage it.

 

[RAPPLEBY2000]

Looks like Ganoderma, was it growing on beech. If so its got a better trauma layer than Fomes (False tinder fungus) and much more of it.
You can cut as much off as you like as its only the fruiting body and will produce new brackets each year. Dont forget the fungus kills the tree so its not always good to encourage it.

Looks like Ganoderma

I just had a look in my mushroom book and you could well be right!
I have smaller versions and they all take an ember.

It was growing on a beech, the tree is so twisted and gnarly i thought it was an oak but an expert with me said it was definately a beech.
It was on a tree that has a certain amount of respect anyway so i can't touch it anyway.
the tree itself is very old, and looks dead from even a short distance, though it has growth, and rather strangley a holly growing out the top of it!

 

[craeg]

I wonder how old that beautiful specimen is 'cos it looks old to me.

I believe that a fungus was found in Michigan, USA that is not only extremely old but also the largest single organism on the planet

Any ideas xylaria? You have gotta love fungi.

 

[Shewie]

Looks like Ganoderma, was it growing on beech. If so its got a better trauma layer than Fomes (False tinder fungus) and much more of it.
You can cut as much off as you like as its only the fruiting body and will produce new brackets each year. Dont forget the fungus kills the tree so its not always good to encourage it.

Ganoderma as in Artists Bracket ? Did it have a pale underside Rapelby, I can't tell from the photo. Try drawing on it with a stick next time you're there.

There's three or four huge hoof fungus on an old beech where I go sometimes. One of them would burn for a year no problem

 

[Peter_t]

i think addos right, it looks like ganoderma to me. was it a white colour underneath? also looks a bit too flat.

You can cut as much off as you like as its only the fruiting body and will produce new brackets each year. Dont forget the fungus kills the tree so its not always good to encourage it.

ganoderma and horse hoof are both perenial brackets so probably wont produce new fruiting boddies each year unlike like birch polypore which is an anual bracket so only lasts a year and porduce new brackets each year to replace the old ones.
as for not encouraging the fungi, the ganoderma was probably in the tree 20 years befor producing any fruiting boddies

still a great find thow!

pete

 

[addo]

Perennial brackets last longer on the stem ie over winter, but new ones are created all the time, especially if others are removed. If there removed they cant spore, but once the tree is infected theres no getting rid of it.

 

[RAPPLEBY2000]

the fungi was/is white underneath!