Although not easily spotted unless you know what to look for, bracket fungi are incredibly populous at Ingwelala and on trees all over the world.
Growing as a shelf-like appearance on the bark of trees, these fungi come in various shapes and sizes and are capable of living for up to thirty years! The narrow and flat shelf-like protrusion is called a “conk” and acts as the fruit of the fungus.
Bracket fungi are mushrooms that are mostly found growing from the scars in bark, or on dead trees or tree stumps where the bark and wood are softer and more accessible. Although mostly small, these fungi will colonise a tree and form an amazing platform for many insects and invertebrates that use them as part of their food chain or life cycle, including some moths and small flies.
There are many different species of bracket fungus found in South Africa and across the world. Here, most bracket fungi grow on dead Mopane trees.
Did you know?
Fungi belong to the Eukaryote domain, like plants and animals, but are separated into their own Kingdom: Fungi. This is largely because they cannot make their own food via photosynthesis. Instead, they absorb dissolved molecules that are created by digesting the substrates they grow on - in this case trees! They will cause trees to decay over time, as more and more of the bark and wood are digested.
Fun Facts:
- Some fungi can be eaten or used medicinally, but this is not recommended unless you are experienced at identifying mushrooms and fungi accurately.
- Mushrooms and other fungi can be very difficult to correctly identify, and as such mistakes can easily be made, which could lead to disaster. While some fungi are safe to eat or use, many are highly toxic and to the untrained eye they can look incredibly similar!
- An expert on fungi and mushrooms is called a mycologist. They study uses, classifications, genetics and biochemistry of fungi, and their relationships with other organisms. Trees, for instance, prefer fungal-rich environments, while grasses prefer bacteria-rich environments.
Words by Tess Woollgar. Images courtesy of Tessa Woolgar