Catching a spark with traditional flint and steel.

[HawkesNest]

The other day I found this growth (tree conk) on a evergreen tree up in the mountains here in North east Utah. Sorry, this first picture is blurry and I forgot to take a picture before I pulled it off the tree so I held it back up in place with a stick.

I tested it to see if it would make a good ember like chaga, it makes for a great ember.

It looks to be in the family of Polypores, not sure which one though. Maybe someone here can identify it for us. It was no longer living and was completely dry.
Mushroom Photo Gallery

After I got home, I wanted to see if it would catch a spark from traditional flint and steel and quarts and steel. It caught a spark from both sets very well and I was glad to find something here local that worked like chaga,(had to buy my chaga off of eBay that I use since I don't know of any in this area). I also tested it in my fire piston and it worked well with it too. This piece I tested with burned a good 30 minutes.

Here is all of the pictures my wife and I took on our autumn ride that day.
http://s485.photobucket.com/albums/rr217/hawkesnest/LeftHandForkSept2008/

Larry

 

[bushcraftbob]

I'd be interested to know what it is and find out if it groes on this side of the pond...

 

[HawkesNest]

Oh yes, I thought I would mention that the burning smell of chaga is still nicer than this Polypore I found. Since I found it growing on a pine or fur (not sure which) it seems to have a smell somewhat similar.

I hope I can find more of this sometime, but tend to think I may have found a rare find for this area. Hopefully I can find more since it is always nice to find useful things in your own local area.

 

[JonnyP]

Very interesting. I wonder how many types of conk there are that will take a spark..

 

[rich59]

That looks a great tinder fungus. I have been thinking about what it might be. It seemed to me it might not be in the main polypore family. I thought it just might be in the toothed fungi group by its rough ? underside. I tentatively thought it just might be in the hirschioporus family.