An Asian friend said some make tea out of these? Typically grow on old acacias, white, birch, or maple... not wanting to try but what the heck is it called in English?
Any idea what this is called?
It's a bracket fungus. One of numerous species, sorry, can't tell which. Some are edible, some not. Don't try any recipes until it is identified to species!
Resin
I can't tell from the picture, but in China a bracket fungus called Ganoderma is used medicinally. They cultivate it and use it fro everything from unpopularity to heart disease. They extract a liquid from it that is so bitter that any self-respecting malady would run in terror!
Sounds like Ganoderma then...many thanks for the info. And I do NOT want to drink this!!
I had to try it in China, where they grow it in bulk and prepare it for consumption in various ways. I really wanted to see how they grew it, but they wouldn't let me . I guess that may have been proprietary information. They needn't have worried; I didn't want to go into the business! It is truly foul; they also powder it and put into capsules for those who are too faint-hearted to drink it.
here on the west coast they grow on dead Alders and common name is turkey tails :-)
Trametes versicolor
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/695773/
Dick
Don't think this could possibly be turkey tail. It is about 2 1/2 inches thick where it attached to the tree and is like wood in texture. Also the color is more like oak bark than anything else -on top anyway, that one from the first post was mossy too. The underside is a sort of caramel color. And also hard. Isn't turkey tail slightly more fragile?
Ganoderma would be hard, woody, and probably somewhat shiny on top. Turkey tail is more leathery on top, and actually resembles, with a little imagination, a turkey's tail.
Here are a couple of sites which talk about Ganoderma/Chinese medicine.
http://botit.botany.wisc.edu/toms_fungi/mar2005.html
http://www.chineseherbsdirect.com/product_info.php?products_id=431&gclid=CM_cj-rinZgCFRo-awodC2zVng
my bad
the pict was blurry and i was in a hurry
the Ganoderma here on the west coast are usually Ganoderma applanatum commonly called artist conks
they are common on conifers and hardwoods
i have several growing on old myrtle trees this one is 10" across and 2" thick
Dick
Hard, woody, and not at all shiny on top. Almost like bark on top. Can't find anything that matches this...
thanks for all your help...
You last post indicates, to me, that you may have a Fomes, Fomitopsis, Heterobasidion or some such; certainly one of the Polyporaceae. Google these names, especially the words Polyporaceae and Polyporales and you will get close.
Been looking. All your examples are much prettier than these...
A worse photographer there never was...
And...
Perhaps you can see, it's very woody. There's almost no color on top except for the moss. And there are cracks like you would get with old logs etc. My husband has hung suspended from some of the bigger ones which need to be sawed off... they can be chipped like old wood too. But my fingernails can't make a dent in 'em... the bottom in this pic is starting to turn white...
i put Kentucky bracket fungus in google, and this book keeps showing up
http://books.google.com/books?id=5HGMPEiy4ykC&pg=PA369&dq=verginia+%22bracket+fungi%22
look at pages 369 to 391 to see if any of them match yours
looks like an awesome book
Dick
thanks again...I keep thinking I have it and then...
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://naturespeed.com/images/5-SongHuang_Lingzhi.gif&imgrefurl=http://naturespeed.com/LingzhiInfo/Lingzhi_Varieties_en.html&usg=__0HlEz2PeLYuKco7zqOOhm5tIb1Y=&h=200&w=300&sz=31&hl=en&start=52&um=1&tbnid=UNV2Os7TWd-w4M:&tbnh=77&tbnw=116&prev=/images%3Fq%3DPhellinus%2Bigniarius%26start%3D40%26ndsp%3D20%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26sa%3DN
I think this is it. Maybe. I would never have found this without all of your help. Knew nothing of how to LOOK for mushrooms or fungus...
now put Phellinus Igniarius in google images :-)
http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&sa=3&q=Phellinus+Igniarius+&btnG=Search+images