Is this tinder fungus?

[spandit]

Found this today on a birch tree:

Is this the famous tinder fungus? If so, should I harvest the lot or just hack off a chunk?

 

[Geoff Dann]

"Tinder fungus" usually refers to Hoof fungus (Fomes fomentarius). What you've got there looks like a very old and odd-shaped Birch Polypore (Piptoporous betulinus.) When younger, this fungus also has many uses...

You are unlikely to find Hoof Fungus in Sussex. I've only ever seen it once, and that was in the Highlands of Scotland. It's more common up north.

 

[spandit]

Good job I left it where it was, then! Thanks, Geoff...

 

[Geoff Dann]

Good job I left it where it was, then! Thanks, Geoff...

Yes, always best practice to leave something if you're not sure what it is. This particular species is common as muck though. Go anywhere in Sussex there are birch trees and you will find it. Makes an excellent DIY dressing for wounds when fresh.

 

[spandit]

Good to know, thanks (have just read another thread that mentions this now you've told me what it is)

 

[21st century pict]

It’s better than that spandit .
That looks more like a burr to me. It certainly looks nothing like a Fomes fomentarius commonly called the Tinder Fungus,or Horses Hoof Fungus,it also looks nothing like a Piptoporous betulinus or Razor Strop. The bracket fungi are as common as muck round here, if you want a horses hoof for some Amadou just give me a shout.
Have a quick look at the images on the Hunting for burr Thread by mrcairney.

 

[Geoff Dann]

It’s better than that spandit .
That looks more like a burr to me. It certainly looks nothing like a Fomes fomentarius commonly called the Tinder Fungus,or Horses Hoof Fungus,it also looks nothing like a Piptoporous betulinus or Razor Strop. The bracket fungi are as common as muck round here, if you want a horses hoof for some Amadou just give me a shout.
Have a quick look at the images on the Hunting for burr Thread by mrcairney.

I does look like an old Razor Strop, or maybe like two....but I'm willing to believe it something else. However, I don't know what the word "Burr" refers to.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burr

Burr may refer to:

Things

Bur, type of seed or fruit with short, stiff bristles or hooks
The Burr distribution, continuous probability distribution
A burr (metal), deformation of metal wherein a raised edge forms on a metal part which has been machined
A burr (cutter), small cutter used in rotary tools for metalworking
A burr puzzle, type of interlocking mechanical puzzle
Burr (novel), book about Aaron Burr by Gore Vidal
Burr, or Borr, god of Norse Mythology
British spelling for burl, deformed grain growth in trees.
Any English regional accent with a guttural R, such as the Northumberland burr
Burr, abbreviation for the orchid genus Burrageara
Burr Truss, architectural feature often used in covered bridges
Burr (crater), crater on Callisto
A Dental drill
Gucci Mane says "Burr!"

?

 

[Smith28]

However, I don't know what the word "Burr" refers to.

Here ya go mate http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burl, it seems wikipedia uses the US spelling instead.

 

[spandit]

Definitely not a burl/burr. It's a fungus, not a deformity

 

[Geoff Dann]

Definitely not a burl/burr. It's a fungus, not a deformity

In which case you have to tell us whether it is hard like wood, or rather soft like a stiff sponge. If it is the latter then I am sticking with my original guess - this is an old, unusually-shaped Birch Polypore:

 

[Retired Member southey]

That is a Birch birl, look at the tree, is it still fine a alive? to harvest that would most probably mean killing the tree, can you hide it under a braken screen, then just keep an eye on it, or contact the owner of the land\wood and ask if you can remove the tree to get the burl,

 

[Geoff Dann]

That is a Birch birl, look at the tree, is it still fine a alive?

Birch polypore does sometimes attack living trees, although this is unusual.

The person who found it says it definately isn't a burl/birl - I'm just going by a photo.

 

[spandit]

What can I say? I'm an idiot. It is a burl - took some closer photos this time & it's pretty solid.

 

[spandit]

 

[Geoff Dann]

OK, that's a much better photo. Doesn't look like a fungus...

 

[21st century pict]

On second thoughts are you sure that’s not a John Merrick fungus.