Lacquered Bracket Ganoderma lucidum (Curtis) P. Karst. (illustrated (e) 50% life size, (f) 25% life size) Bracket 10–25cm across, 2–3cm thick, fan- or kidney-shaped, laterally attached; concentrically grooved and zoned ochraceous to orange-brown, later purple-brown to blackish; conspicuously glossy, as if varnished. Stem very short or up to 250×10–30mm, dark brown, glossy. Tubes 0.5–2cm long. Pores 4–5 per mm, circular; whitish then cream, finally tobacco-brown, darkening on bruising when fresh. Spores 7–13×6–8¼, elliptical-ovate with truncate end; rusty. Habitat on roots of deciduous trees; all year. Occasional. Not edible. Note the long-stemmed form is much sought after in China for its medicinal properties.
