Ganoderma brownii

Ganoderma brownii is a species of polypore fungus in the Ganodermataceae family. It is a plant pathogen and occasional saprotroph similar in appearance to Ganoderma applanatum. This species is restricted geographically to the Pacific Northwest, primarily observed in California. In the San Francisco Bay Area, it is very common on Umbellularia californica.

Ganoderma brownii
Mendocino County, California, 2023
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Fungi
Division:	Basidiomycota
Class:	Agaricomycetes
Order:	Polyporales
Family:	Ganodermataceae
Genus:	Ganoderma
Species:	G. brownii
Binomial name
Ganoderma brownii (Murrill) Gilb. (1962)
Synonyms[1]
Elfvingia brownii Murrill (1915) Fomes brownii (Murrill) Murrill (1915) Fomes brownii (Murrill) Sacc. & Trotter (1925)

Taxonomy

This fungus is a member of the G. applanatum group.

Description

It is a perennial, sessile, concentrically zonate polypore that is 5–65 cm (2.0–25.6 in) in length that can be a number of dull tones ranging from brown to gray.^[2] It parasitizes both conifers and hardwoods, with a preference for the latter. Its pore surface is white but easily turns shades of brown upon damage. According to Michael Kuo, it has larger spores than G. applanatum, measuring 9–12 by 7–9 μm.

Ganoderma brownii spores 1000x