Proper name-ID? for these

[bb07]

I'm looking to have these properly identified.First:

This one appears to be the same as the two above

This one I should have taken more pics of.It's much larger than the ones above.

All are on dead spruce.
Thanks!

 

[spiritwalker]

looks a little like beefsteak fungus but ill play safe and just say bracket fungus

 

[Geoff Dann]

looks a little like beefsteak fungus but ill play safe and just say bracket fungus

Definitely not beefsteak fungus. The colours are wrong, the tree is wrong (this is a dead conifer, beefsteaks grow on living broadleaved trees) and also beefsteak fungus is extremely rare in north america and doesn't grow in the snow.

It's some sort of Ganoderma by the look of it, or perhaps a hoof fungus (Fomes fomentarius).

 

[SOAR]

Its ganoderma applanatum, (Artist's Fungus) it grows alone or in groups on decaying tree stumps.

 

[Mahikan]

I don't think it's Ganoderma applanatum, too rounded on the top, not flat enough. I'm certain it is red belted conk Fomitopsis pinicola, very common here in Western Canada, I collect a lot of them to make medicine. Have a smell of it, and if it has a slightly bitter sweet orange scent it is likely F. pinicola. They seem to particularly favour dead spruce.

Cheers
Mahikan

 

[Geoff Dann]

I don't think it's Ganoderma applanatum, too rounded on the top, not flat enough. I'm certain it is red belted conk Fomitopsis pinicola, very common here in Western Canada, I collect a lot of them to make medicine. Have a smell of it, and if it has a slightly bitter sweet orange scent it is likely F. pinicola. They seem to particularly favour dead spruce.

Cheers
Mahikan

So it's a north American relative of what is called hoof fungus in the UK. What is the medicinal use?

 

[Mahikan]

So it's a north American relative of what is called hoof fungus in the UK. What is the medicinal use?

My people (Cree) used it to stop bleeding, heal wounds and internally as an emetic for purifying. Other internal uses are for digestive tract inflammation. Smoking it with native tobacco helps with headaches. It is anti-bacterial and an immune booster. Our name for it is Mechquahtoo (Red Touchwood)
Modern medicine studies have shown it to contain polysaccharides that inhibit tumours and stimulate the immune system. Liver enzymes seem to have some sort of beneficial side effect from it. Tons and tons more research I've gathered, a bit too much to put here but that should give a general idea on it's purposes.

We also have hoof fungus here, varying types but they are not Fomitopsis, our hoof fungus belong to Fomes fomentarius

 

[bb07]

Thanks for the replies everyone.No one around here seem to know anything about these.

 

[SOAR]

Interesting this one, it is very similar in apperarance. Very interesting info about the uses for these by your people too.