Ganoderma oregonense

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.{{Cite web |last=Murrill |first=W. A. |year=1915 |title=Western Polypores |url=https://hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.39015069534363?urlappend=%3Bseq=42 |access-date=2024-02-03 |publisher=self-published |pages=30 |language=en |via=HathiTrust |location=New York |hdl=2027/mdp.39015069534363?urlappend=%3Bseq=42}}

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.{{Cite book |last=Scharpf |first=Robert F. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5fD2ozC-22YC&dq=Ganoderma+oregonense&pg=PA152 |title=Diseases of Pacific Coast Conifers |date=1993 |publisher=U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service |isbn=978-0-16-041765-8 |pages=152, 174–177 |language=en}} It can be shaped like a kidney or a fan or a hoof,{{Cite book |last1=Davis |first1=R. Michael |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=961gjLm2o9EC&dq=Ganoderma+oregonense&pg=PA345 |title=Field Guide to Mushrooms of Western North America |last2=Sommer |first2=Robert |last3=Menge |first3=John A. |date=2012 |publisher=University of California Press |isbn=978-0-520-27108-1 |pages=345 |language=en}} 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. They can grow up to {{Convert|10-50|cm|frac=2}} wide, sometimes with a stem {{Convert|2.5-10|cm|abbr=on|frac=2}} long and {{Convert|0.5-4|cm|abbr=on|frac=4}} thick.{{Cite book |last=Audubon |title=Mushrooms of North America |publisher=Knopf |year=2023 |isbn=978-0-593-31998-7 |pages=274}}

G. oregonense is very similar to Ganoderma tsugae,{{Cite book |last1=Trudell |first1=Steve |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WevHvt6Tr8kC&dq=Ganoderma+oregonense&pg=PA259 |title=Mushrooms of the Pacific Northwest |last2=Ammirati |first2=Joe |date=2009 |publisher=Timber Press |isbn=978-1-60469-141-2 |pages=259 |language=en}} but G. tsugae is associated with east coast Tsuga (hemlock) rather than west coast conifer.{{Cite book |last=Starwood |first=Jess |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZA0DEAAAQBAJ&dq=Ganoderma+oregonense&pg=PT251 |title=Mushroom Wanderland: A Forager's Guide to Finding, Identifying, and Using More Than 25 Wild Fungi |date=2021-08-17 |publisher=The Countryman Press |isbn=978-1-68268-635-5 |pages=no pag |language=en}} Its been speculated that G. oregonense and G. tsugae might actually be one species. Additionally, G. polychromum usually grows on the ground.

It can be found in northwestern coastal North America,{{cite web |last=Kuo |first=M. |date=January 2019 |title=Ganoderma oregonense |url=http://www.mushroomexpert.com/ganoderma_oregonense.html |work=MushroomExpert.Com}} including California, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, Yukon, and Alaska.{{Cite web |title=Observations |url=https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=any&subview=map&taxon_id=118062 |access-date=2024-02-03 |website=iNaturalist |language=en}} It can be found year-round but is freshest from July to November.

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

According to Paul Stamets, this fungus is edible. 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.){{Cite web |date=2020-09-11 |title=Cooking Ganoderma oregonense |url=https://paulstamets.com/news/cooking-ganoderma-oregonense |access-date=2024-02-03 |website=Paul Stamets |language=en-US}}

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• [https://agsci.oregonstate.edu/sites/agscid7/files/academics/internships/2022syring_posterganoderma_poster_cue.syring.formatted.pdf Phylogenetics of Ganoderma oregonense and related species in the Pacific Northwest - Kimberly Syring¹, Kelli Daffron², Dr. Jessie Uehling¹ of ¹Oregon State University Department of Botany and Plant Pathology and ²Lewis and Clark National Historical Park (PDF)]

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Category:Fungi described in 1908

Category:Fungi of North America

Category:Fungus species

oregonense

Category:Taxa named by William Alphonso Murrill

Category:Edible fungi

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