Chaga? ID

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Woody girl

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Mar 31, 2018
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I don't think chagga grows that far south. I'm no expert but I think it's likely to be something else. The only way to tell is to cut it and see if it's orange inside. It looks far more likely to be a growth of some sort.
If you have found chagga that far south you are very lucky!
 

Toddy

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Jan 21, 2005
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S. Lanarkshire
Okay :)
Right tree, right colour, right shape, wrong place; maybe ?

I would certainly do as Woody Girl suggests and cut a bit and look inside. It's a rich rust coloured stuff inside. No unpleasant smell.

If you have found it down there, well it'll keep growing until the tree's dead. It's very useful stuff.

I don't know the ins and outs of collecting down in England. I do know that if it's on your own land that's one thing, but if it's on someone else's that's another thing entirely.

M
 

Broch

Life Member
Jan 18, 2009
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It is rare in England and I certainly never found it when I was living in Surrey. It's pretty rare here in Mid Wales as well.

Here chaga grows on alder and rowan too but very rarely. To me that looks like one.

Apparently, only Chaga growing on Birch has anti-tumour properties! I don't know if that means there is no inotodiol if it grows on other trees.
 

TLM

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Nov 16, 2019
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Vantaa, Finland
Yes, traditionally only one growing on birch is used as chaga tends to collect substances only produced by birch. I have not seen any studies of growths on other trees, russians only use birch too. I have at least one growing on rowan on my land.
 

Emdiesse

Settler
Jan 9, 2005
629
5
Surrey, UK
I hope no one minds me raising this thread from the dead but it just so happens I stumbled across what I believed to be chaga - in Surrey also.

One of the 'conks' was loose so I had to investigate further.

Knowing nothing about chaga other than hearing and seeing it mentioned a lot and it's supposed medicinal properties I set about trying to learn

From all the photos I've seen online I see a very dark, almost black outer crust, and a nice golden brown inner which seems to be one of the identifying features.

I noticed from feel my chunk was quite spongy, almost cork like at the point at which it broke away - at this point I noticed a whitish substance, very mycelium-esque.

I filed away part of the black outer crust but it was quite thick so I drew my attention to the soft spongy part from where it broke away.

I didn't quite see the lovely golden brown hue I was hoping to see.

EmoWNe4.jpg

Qca2WXd.jpg

Gy9lZ9j.jpg

SPNXrw4.mp4

I should have taken a photo underneath where the growth was, it looked very much like spores had been dropping all over it - I can go back tomorrow and photograph this.

Link to gallery

Cheers
 
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Toddy

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Jan 21, 2005
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S. Lanarkshire
That looks like the sodden wet end of the tree and the fungus.
Sometimes my husband brings in some that is really, really wet and just on the edge of being too far gone.
I dry that out and just use it for firelighting, I don't use it for tea or send it to anyone else either.

I think you could try drying it out; squeeze it between some kitchen towels to get as much water out as possible, then lay chunks of it on top of a radiator to dry.....well, it's how I manage it in Winter, in Summer I just put it into net bags and hang it outside on the washing line to air dry.

Then try sparking onto a bit of it and see if it catches.
 
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Emdiesse

Settler
Jan 9, 2005
629
5
Surrey, UK
That looks like the sodden wet end of the tree and the fungus.
Sometimes my husband brings in some that is really, really wet and just on the edge of being too far gone.
I dry that out and just use it for firelighting, I don't use it for tea or send it to anyone else either.

I think you could try drying it out; squeeze it between some kitchen towels to get as much water out as possible, then lay chunks of it on top of a radiator to dry.....well, it's how I manage it in Winter, in Summer I just put it into net bags and hang it outside on the washing line to air dry.

Then try sparking onto a bit of it and see if it catches.
Excellent, thanks Toddy.

I broke it up into smaller chunks and It's been drying in the airing cupboard - I didn't bother removing the outer crust as I plan to just add it to my tinder pile.

Very interested to see what it's like compared to Cramp Ball.
 

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