Ganoderma oregonense

Ganoderma oregonense
Jefferson County, Washington, 2023
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Fungi
Division:	Basidiomycota
Class:	Agaricomycetes
Order:	Polyporales
Family:	Ganodermataceae
Genus:	Ganoderma
Species:	G. oregonense
Binomial name
Ganoderma oregonense Murrill, 19081

Ganoderma oregonense (also known as the west-coast reishi, western varnished conk, lacquer fungus, and American ling-chi) is a species of polypore (bracket fungus) native to the northwestern coastal regions of North America. It is a wood-decay fungus that infects conifers, causing white rot of the root and butt of the infected tree.

This species was originally described by W. A. Murrill as:

Pileus reniform, corky, rigid, convex above, plane below, 10 x 17 x 5 cm; surface glabrous, thinly encrusted, smooth, laccate, very lustrous, bay to black, with a deep groove near the margin, which is cream-colored, rounded, smooth, entire, finely tomentose; context punky, white to slightly discolored, homogeneous, with white lines of mycelium near the stipe, 2-3.5 cm. thick; tubes annual, 1 cm. long, avellaneous within, mouths circular to angular, 3 to a mm., edges thin, entire, white to avellaneous; stipe lateral, very thick, short, subcylindric, 2-4 cm long, 3-6 cm. thick, expanding into the pileus, which it resembles in color, surface, and context.²

Western varnished conk has a shiny brown-red-orange and sometimes cream-colored upper surface (often appearing as a color gradient), and white- or cream-colored pores.³ It can be shaped like a kidney or a fan or a hoof,⁴ or like a plate or stack of plates jammed into the side of a log. It fruits annually (rather than perennially), and usually shows up in the fall.³ They can grow up to 10–50 centimetres (4–19+1⁄2 in) wide, sometimes with a stem 2.5–10 cm (1–4 in) long and 0.5–4 cm (1⁄4–1+1⁄2 in) thick.⁵

G. oregonense is very similar to Ganoderma tsugae,⁶ but G. tsugae is associated with east coast Tsuga (hemlock) rather than west coast conifer.⁷ Its been speculated that G. oregonense and G. tsugae might actually be one species.⁶ Additionally, G. polychromum usually grows on the ground.⁵

It can be found in northwestern coastal North America,⁸³ including California, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, Yukon, and Alaska.⁹ It can be found year-round but is freshest from July to November.⁵

Trees inoculated with G. oregonense end up with spongy, soft insides.³ It prefers dead red fir but will also accept dead or alive Douglas fir, spruce, hemlock, and pine.³ When this reishi is found on living trees it is usually consequent to tree wounds,³ such as bear marks.

According to Paul Stamets, this fungus is edible.¹⁰ This is unusual for a Ganoderma, specimens of which are usually far too tough to be eaten. (Reishi is often dried, powdered and consumed as a mushroom tea.)¹⁰