Can I grow this in my garden?

It requires decaying hardwood logs and high humidity, making it difficult to cultivate intentionally.

Is it harmful to my trees?

It is a parasite that causes heart rot in living trees, eventually leading to their decline.

Plant guide

Artist's bracket.

Ganoderma applanatum

Pronounced ga-no-DER-ma ap-pla-NA-tum

Also known as Artist's Bracket, artist's conk, artist's fungus

The artist's bracket is a perennial wood decay fungus found on dead or living hardwood trees. It is famous for its white pore surface that turns brown when scratched, allowing artists to create intricate drawings. You will typically find these shelf like structures growing on decaying logs or tree trunks.

At a glance

Plant type: Fungus
Light: Shade
Indoor light: Low light
Water: Every 0 days
Mature size: 30 to 60 centimeters wide
Growth rate: Medium
Hardiness: USDA 3 to 9

Care

This fungus is not a houseplant and requires specific wood substrates to survive in a natural ecosystem. It thrives in high humidity and needs decaying organic matter to persist. Do not attempt to grow this indoors as it releases massive amounts of spores.

Watering: This species relies on natural environmental moisture and does not require manual watering.
Feeding: Do not fertilize as this fungus derives nutrients from wood decomposition.
Pruning: Pruning is not applicable for this fungal species.
Repotting: Repotting is not applicable as it grows directly on wood.
Soil: Decaying hardwood logs
Soil pH: Acidic
Temperature: 5 to 30°C
Humidity: 60 to 90%

Safety

People: It is not considered toxic, but it is not consumed due to its extremely hard, corky texture.
Children: Keep children from handling the underside to avoid inhaling large amounts of spores.
Contact allergens: None.
Airborne allergens: The massive release of spores from the underside can irritate sensitive airways.
Edibility: This fungus is tough and woody, making it inedible for culinary purposes.

How to identify it

Hard woody shelf like fruiting body
Dark brown upper surface with concentric zones
White underside that bruises dark brown
White spores released in large quantities

Height: 0.05 to 0.2m
Spread: 0.1 to 0.6m
Leaves: deciduous
Flowers: 0cm
Fruit: brown, white, Year round

Problems to watch for

— This is a wild fungus that thrives in its natural environment without human intervention.

By symptom

Check your artist's bracket from a photo

Pocket Botanist looks at a photo of your plant and tells you what's wrong and what to try first.

Growing it

Propagation: spore dispersal

This fungus is best left in its natural forest habitat rather than trying to introduce it to a home garden.

Similar species

Reishi — It is a related species often sought for medicinal use.

Science

Family: Polyporaceae
Genus: Ganoderma
Order: Polyporales
Class: Agaricomycetes
Native range: Widespread throughout temperate forests of the Northern Hemisphere.
Conservation: It is a common and widespread species that does not require conservation protection.

It survives by breaking down dead or dying wood in forest ecosystems.

Value to wildlife: habitat for insects, decomposer
Pollinators: beetles
Uses: artistic etching, medicinal research, wood decomposition

Through the year

JFMAMJJASOND

Flowering

Fruiting

Foliage

Ecological indicators

Salinity: 0/9
Soil reaction: 5/9
Light: 1/9
Temperature: 5/9
Moisture: 7/9
Nutrients: 5/9

Taxonomy resolved against GBIF.

Questions people ask

Can I grow this in my garden?: It requires decaying hardwood logs and high humidity, making it difficult to cultivate intentionally.
Is it harmful to my trees?: It is a parasite that causes heart rot in living trees, eventually leading to their decline.

Where the name comes from

The name Ganoderma comes from the Greek words for bright and skin, while applanatum refers to its flattened shape.

Good to know

It is commonly called the artist's conk.
The fruiting body can live for many years, adding a new layer of pores each season.
It is a white rot fungus that breaks down lignin in wood.
The pores on the underside turn dark brown when scratched or bruised.

Keep your artist's bracket growing

This page is a general guide. Save your plant in Pocket Botanist and you get care reminders timed for this plant, plus a care history that shows what worked.

Get the app

This guide was generated with AI and checked against GBIF taxonomy. It is general information, not horticultural or veterinary advice. Read about how we build these guides.