Hiking plant queries

[dennydrewcook]

I've been doing parts of the north downs route recently mainly Hollingbourne to lenham and around cuxton area their are two little things that have been bugging me

And

Any help guys?


Denny

 

[British Red]

Bracket fungus and spindle tree

 

[Mesquite]

What Hugh said

 

[dennydrewcook]

Thanks guys any uses?


Denny

 

[British Red]

Spindle tree is fairly poisonous but makes a nice fine grained wood for carving. The yellow seeds make a good dye and the seed pods have been used to make poison arrows

 

[dennydrewcook]

Wow amazing knowledge And the bracket fungus ?


Denny

 

[British Red]

Depends on the specific one. In general terms the amadou layer makes a good prepared tinder and the trama layer a good strop and coal extender. Parts of various bracket fungi are the very best tinders and the cuticle layer in others sterile plasters.

 

[dennydrewcook]

Thanks I'm aware of the birch polypore,horseshoe and willow bracket ect saw these and wondered if they had any uses but not wanting to harm them if they didn't left them. Thanks much appreciated


Denny

 

[bushwacker bob]

That particular bracket looks like a Ganoderma (Artists conk)

 

[Stevie777]

Some Bracket Fungi can be boiled up for tea and medicinal purposes. Like Chaga.

[video=youtube;HpABSRgP1HU]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpABSRgP1HU[/video]

 

[xylaria]

Artist conk tastes like the really terrible coffee. If you have ever drank macro utter cheapest or tesco savers, that like that with a moldy taste as well.

Good fire extender and dried out burns like coal.

 

[dennydrewcook]

Thanks guys I'll try it out just maybe not as coffee. I also found this?

Denny

 

[Stevie777]

Found one of those last week as well..It was huge.

 

[dennydrewcook]

Yeah same I don't know what it is tho thought mabye an old chicken of the woods?


Denny

 

[Harvestman]

For the first two pictures, as has already been said, the fungus is Ganoderma artists fungus. Difficult to say which species. Inedible.

The berries are spindle, as hugh said. So named because it tends to grow short straight branches which were perfect for the centre stems of spindles used for spinning wool.

The last fungus I think is turkeytail, Trametes versicolor, a.k.a, many-zoned polypore, though it may be one of the other related brackets. They are pretty variable in appearance. Inedible.

 

[xylaria]

How big is the polypore? I cant really judge from the photo.

Turkey tail is very good for people to consume, very good for the immune system and it has a host of disease preventing properties. The texture and taste leave a lot to be desired though.

 

[dennydrewcook]

It's about a foot and had a wet texture if that's any help


Denny