Ganoderma oregonense Murrill
western varnished conk
Polyporaceae
Species account author: Ian Gibson.
Extracted from Matchmaker: Mushrooms of the Pacific Northwest.
Introduction to the Macrofungi
western varnished conk
Polyporaceae
Species account author: Ian Gibson.
Extracted from Matchmaker: Mushrooms of the Pacific Northwest.
Introduction to the Macrofungi
Photograph
© Celeste Paley (Photo ID #75153)
Species Information
Summary:
Ganoderma oregonense forms large yellow-brown to red-brown semicircular or fan-shaped brackets with a lacquer-like surface, growing on conifers. Some authors consider this a synonym of Ganoderma tsugae.
Odor:
none (Miller)
Taste:
unknown (Miller)
Microscopic:
spores 13-17 x 8-10 microns, elliptic, with truncate apex, inamyloid, pale brown in KOH, "wall with two layers separated by interwall pillars, outer wall with pronounced depressions and appearing rough"; cystidia absent; hyphal system trimitic: context generative hyphae 2.5-5 microns wide, "thin-walled, with clamps, rarely branched"; context skeletal hyphae 3-5 microns wide, colorless, thick-walled, non-septate, with occasional branching, context binding hyphae 2-4.5 microns wide, colorless, thick-walled, non-septate, with frequent branching, trama hyphae similar; cap surface with dense palisade of clavate, thick-walled strongly amyloid end cells, up to 70 microns long and 8.5-11 microns wide at widest point, (Gilbertson)
Spore Deposit:
rusty brown (Phillips, Gilbertson)
Notes:
Ganoderma oregonense is found in BC, WA, OR, ID, CA, MT, and NV, (Gilbertson).
EDIBILITY
no (Phillips)
Habitat and Range
SIMILAR SPECIES
Ganoderma tsugae is smaller (30cm x 20cm x 6.5cm), often has a well developed stem, has smaller pores (5-6 per mm), and has smaller spores (11-12.5 x 6.5-8.5 microns) (Ginns(28)). ''Very young specimens of Fomitopsis pinicola may be more or less completely "varnished" but the varnish disappears as the basidiocarp ages. The very dense, hard context of F. pinicola is very different from the light, soft-punky context of G. oregonense.'', (Ginns(25), with Latin names italicized). Ganoderma lucidum "is restricted to hardwoods and appears to be, at most, rare in the Pacific Northwest. Gilbertson and Ryvarden(1986) listed it from Oregon. There is one tentative British Columbia record of G. lucidum on Quercus garryana in Victoria.", (Ginns(28) with Latin names italicized). Ganoderma applanatum and Ganoderma brownii do not have a varnished appearance.Habitat
annual, commonly on dead standing conifers and on conifer stumps, main substrates are Abies (fir) and Tsuga (hemlock), causes white butt and root rot of living and dead conifers, (Gilbertson), fruiting in spring, summer, and fall, (Miller)
Status Information
Synonyms
Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Dacrymyces sebaceus Berk. & Broome
Ganoderma sequoiae Murrill
Platygloea sebacea (Berk. & Broome) McNabb