Inonotus obliquus

[Stanleythecat]

Does anyone know the range of this fungus and how rare it is?

I just stumbled across a site selling it and I never realised its qualities as tinder. I manage a small bit of woodland in Wiltshire and there is a stand of birch, I was wondering if I was ever likely to come across it in my neck of the woods... as they say!

Leo

 

[Shewie]

Tom founds some in Holland recently here ...

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=64443&highlight=chaga

I'm sure I've seen it over here but I can't be sure it wasn't just a a big scar/growth as I didn't pay much attention to it.

 

[The Big Lebowski]

I found some in south wales (well, 90% sure) just on the border... but it had rotted/died possibly of age.

I will be keeping a close eye out for it from now on though, its supposed to be a really good and if I'm right its common name is 'true tinder fungus'

Some good video's on youtube about it.

al.

 

[Limaed]

It seems pretty rare over here, in Scotland at least. On Ray Mears's recent talk someone asked a question about why Ray hadn't used it on his shows etc, his responses was that its quite rare where as other fungi that can be used in the same way like Horses Hoof and Crampballs are far more common therefore showing them on TV would cause minimal impact.

Al I wouldn't write off dead bracket fungi, I found a huge one (unknown species) with a Horseshoof type structure about 18 months ago. The trauma layer took a spark straight off the tree without the normal boiling and beating process: http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=41216&highlight=

 

[The Big Lebowski]

Hmmm, cheers for that limaed... Its still where i left it, so i might pop back for a closer look.

I thought it was just a rotted artists fungus at first, but it had a different texture on the outside, and the very distinctive orange inner that go's with true tinder, from the video's I've watched, at-least!

Thanks for pointing out it may still be of use. That striker is rather nice, btw.

al.

 

[PatrickM]

Gathered in Bonnie Scotland.

 

[Stanleythecat]

Wow, that's a good stash. Went to have a look at a fallen birch I knew of, remembering it had some knobbley bits but they turned out to be burrs. Damn! Bit too rotten for carving too. Scottyland really is the land of plenty!

 

[Oarsnpaddle]

I walked past something looking like that the other day here in Denmark. Big lumps of it.

When a bit more snow is melted I'll take another walk in the forest. When I saw it, I was thinking "Wow, is that some sort of fungus? It looks like charcoal!", and only by taking a closer look at the several lumps did I figure out it had to be some sort of fungus that just happened to black and look all weird. It never occured to me there could be a nice firestarter hidden inside.

 

[Callum]

I've seen it near Aviemore in the Highlands.