Fomes fomentarius

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Brixton

Need to contact Admin...
Jul 3, 2005
77
1
62
Does this fungus only grow at certain times of the year?
I keep looking whenever I'm out but to no avail.
Or does anyone know where to purchase some.
My fire piston attempts are pretty shabby with my home made charcloth
 

Toddy

Mod
Mod
Jan 21, 2005
38,937
4,570
S. Lanarkshire
Brixton said:
Does this fungus only grow at certain times of the year?
I keep looking whenever I'm out but to no avail.
Or does anyone know where to purchase some.
My fire piston attempts are pretty shabby with my home made charcloth

It's a bracket fungus that grows from (I'll probably be instructed otherwise :rolleyes: ) on Birch trees, and it gets bigger year by year. The largest one I have is about 15" across. The little ones are really quite soft inside, but they all hold a glowing ember really well.
I know it from the rhyme, "As cheugh (tough) as auld Nick, who burns forever, Roast it black and they'll burn thegither"

pm sent

Cheers,
Toddy
 

Marts

Native
May 5, 2005
1,435
32
London
Toddy said:
(I'll probably be instructed otherwise :rolleyes: )

Oh Yes! ;)

It usually grows on birch trees, but it can also be found on beech trees
Brixton where do you live? Because it is mostly found in Scotland and N. England which may be why you're having trouble.

Down south I have a 'secret' Beech which has massive examples on it. It tends to be on Beech if at all down here.
 

Ogri the trog

Mod
Mod
Apr 29, 2005
7,182
71
60
Mid Wales UK
Out of interest,
Does anybody know a latitude, north of which you are likely to find F.f. and south of which you are not? I've been scouring the wooded areas of the Cambrian mountains of Mid Wales and can't find a single example, yet posts here tell of isolated growths both north and south of me :( .
I had thought that the cold and elevation would bring the local climate closer to that of more northern (ie. Scottish) areas!

Any ideas?

Ogri the trog
 

Marts

Native
May 5, 2005
1,435
32
London
As you find with many fungi - sources are often conflicting over the exact distribution of Fomes Fomentarius. It is definitely more common in Scotland and Northern England, but some sources say that only a handful of examples have been found in the south while others show it scattered all over Southern England and Wales. My personal feeling is that the latter is more correct - I have found it exclusively on Beech trees down south (busily killing its hosts) There is a beautiful example on a lone beech on Hampstead Heath and I have found one 'hidden' tree in A wood in Surrey that has five or six (It did have more but then I found it :) ) huge examples - one going on for 50 cms in diameter. I have heard of examples as far away as Russia and even New South Wales (Wrong Wales - sorry Ogri ;) ) Anyway Certainly down South I would look out for it on lightning-struck beech, dead standing Beech and any large beech which look like they've been mauled a bit.
 

Brixton

Need to contact Admin...
Jul 3, 2005
77
1
62
Is it seasonal?
I believe that some funghi only come out at certain times of the year.
Is this the case with this one?
 

JM

Forager
Sep 9, 2003
132
2
Left
So, what do you do with it ? amadou ? :

dsc02640.jpg
 

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