Can someone identify these??

[willie]

Hello, i went for a stroll in the local forrest and came across these...



These are pritty much what they all looked like i dont suppose anyone knows what type they are ??

 

[Goose]

Birch polypore AKA razorstrop AKA Piptoporus betulinus, I am 90% sure, all the ones I find look like the centre one rather than the other two. Lots of uses, including plasters, coals, and stropping

Someone else will be along soon and confirm, I sounded more sure than I actually am!

 

[Rod]

Would agree with Goose - Images 2 & 3 (going L to R) are birch brackets. Image 1 probably is too - though it looks a bit swollen!

cheers

 

[xylaria]

GOOSE: Yes you are completly right. It is Birch polypore, and it has loads of uses.

Two that I have done are
Colds and sore throats; Slice off a peice. boil it for 30 mins with the lid on. inhale vapour for a blocked nose and gargle liquid for sore throat. It tastes terrible but it works.

Coal fungus/ember keep: Dry out fungus. slice off stipe and place ember on inner flesh. keeps burning for hours and keeps insects away.

It contains an antiseptic and alot of tannins(stypic). It tastes like TCP soaked cotton wool.
Looking at the pictures carefully something wierd is going on to fungus in the first picture. It has morbid obesity of something.

 

[Toddy]

Sometimes they get that shape when they're really old.
Interesting use, boiling it for tea; I boil it up for a green dye
It can also be chewed raw as a hunger stop. Tastes like polystyrene (feels a bit like the tougher stuff too) but seems to work.

Cheers,
Toddy