Reishi mushrooms in the wild

[theuserformallyknownasd00d]

hey guys, i came across a nice 10 or so Reishi mushrooms today whilst walking through some pine forests. I didnt pick them as I know they are valued by alot of people and wanted to understand some more about them. mainly on the conservation front, when is it ok to pick these, or is it deemed better to let them cultivate and spread? man they are beautiful, i will upload pics when i have my cable..

d00d

[whitewind]

Sounds amazing. Why not just grab some spore and leave the plant as she is? You'll be able to go back year after year for more spore if you can't get it to grow at home.

I'm not sure harvesting a small amount of a plant where it may not be widespread is a good idea; conservation should come before harvest, preservation and sustainability are something I think we should take in to account before we start anything I reckon!

I remember wild collecting a plant once, which didn't survive transition, and I never found it growing in that area again. It was a very sad feeling I got from that single, impulsive act.

[theuserformallyknownasd00d]

Thanks for the reply whitewind! I will Definatly try and learn how to cultivate thia baby whilst leaving her relatively untouched

[obtuse]

These mushrooms spread millions upon millions of spores all the time, and can be very parasitic on damaged and dying trees. By Reishi, i am assuming it is then a Ganoderma species. I actually wouldnt have a problem with taking part of it, it should continue to grow. In some peoples eyes they are in fact a pest, and i know a lot of work has gone into working out how to best protect trees from them. Even stamets mentions the fact that Australian quarantine have this listed as a banned import due to its potentially damaging nature to our forests, and forest industry.

I agree they are very beautiful, and there are a few i check on every year to make sure they are ok. but if done properly, i dont see why you couldnt take a sample from one or two.

Cheers, Ob.

[Marcel]

External fungi bodies should be thought of as a fruit, rather than a whole organism in itself. Cut (or saw; those mofos are tough!) the mushrooms carefully and the myc will survive to pop up new fruiting bodies for the future.

As for spore collection, I was under the impression that cultivating Ganoderma spp in Australia was illegal/restricted.

[omsource]

The ganoderma complex is well distributed through-out Australia and I would agree that some foresters see them as pest/invasive species. A few well respected mycologists have proposed that the parasitic nature of the Ganodermas along with many other saprophytes are actually beneficial for the ecosystem overall, facilitating the decomposition process by attacking trees already on their last legs.

I wouldn't hesitate to pick a few...

[omsource]

As for spore collection, I was under the impression that cultivating Ganoderma spp in Australia was illegal/restricted.

 

I heard this as well and I've been trying to verify if it's true.

Any ideas on where to look?

[Marcel]

I heard this as well and I've been trying to verify if it's true.

Any ideas on where to look?

 

I think I actually heard that from you, om.

That said, I think I overheard Chid say something to that effect at EGA, so unless you both heard it from the same source (or you are actually the same person!), the rumour might have some truth to it.

[omsource]

haha nice!

well I've done some ringing around and haven't come up with anything prohibiting the cultivation yet...

I missed Chid's talk at the EGA unfortunately

[theuserformallyknownasd00d]

Thanks for everyones replys, just one question.. when people pose them as pests, are they detrimental to the environment or are they just sick of seeing them?

[whitewind]

These mushrooms spread millions upon millions of spores all the time, and can be very parasitic on damaged and dying trees. By Reishi, i am assuming it is then a Ganoderma species. I actually wouldnt have a problem with taking part of it, it should continue to grow. In some peoples eyes they are in fact a pest, and i know a lot of work has gone into working out how to best protect trees from them. Even stamets mentions the fact that Australian quarantine have this listed as a banned import due to its potentially damaging nature to our forests, and forest industry.

I agree they are very beautiful, and there are a few i check on every year to make sure they are ok. but if done properly, i dont see why you couldnt take a sample from one or two.

Cheers, Ob.

 

Thanks for that Obtuse, I wasn't aware that they were considered a pest in some areas! Is it like Honey Fungus, which some consider a terrible pest yet others a source of food? Also, I was wondering whether Reishi is native or not?

It might be good to have those pics so we can get a positive ID too!

[shortly]

Thanks for everyones replys, just one question.. when people pose them as pests, are they detrimental to the environment or are they just sick of seeing them?

 

Some of the exotic ones could possibly prove to be pest species. Given how many local ganoderma's there are they are likely an important part of the forest systems, just one that reduces the commercial value of timber so they must all be bad.

I was wondering whether Reishi is native or not?

Yep it is native & not

There are lots of ganoderma's & more than a few get lumped under "Reishi" although the one most commonly called Reishi seems to be lucidum, & while lucidum has been recorded here (in Au) in the wild who knows if its a local or if it arrived with the boat ppl?

"cultivating Ganoderma spp in Australia was illegal/restricted" Is that a state thing or federal? Or just upcoming?

[NSF]

So if I've found some sort of ganoderma on a living and apparently healthy tree, is it in fact a death sentence? Is white rot consuming the tree's heart wood and it's destined for failure?

[omsource]

I'm not 100% NSF but from speaking with knowledgable people on the subject I'd say that ganoderma's aren't that toxic to their host tree... they seem to be a mild parasite that can co-exist with the tree for quite some time.

I really like the term "facilitative parasite" for the description of these guys, it really sets them apart from true parasites like the Armariella species..

Definitely not gospel, just a feeling...

[altenate]

Also agree with omsource

The ones found near us have been habituating the same trees for at least 10 years with no apparent detriment to the trees health, although the tree appears to have survived bushfires before....one in particular any way....

From somewhere I remember they said the spore amount is pretty high so it's not recommended to cultivate. Can't recall the source at the moment..

I am sure there are much more aggressive species that are cultivated that cause rot.

Reishi's are a beautiful addition to ones life for the health benefits, but pick them wild with respect....also Tinctures or capsules are the way to go.

Saying that I haven't been able to confirm that wild grown in Aust have the same composition but it's well worth comparing...any one know of a comparitive study comparing G. Appalautum, G. lucidium or resinsceous ( spelling might be wrong) ??

[theuserformallyknownasd00d]

hey guys thanks again for all the replys, here are some pictures that I have found around my local area (southern Sydney/illawarra), some of these were massive, particularly the white ones..

here are some others which i have found in my sub patches... i havent seen subs yet, but i think these are an indicative species i recently say posted on here?? not sure, i could be wrong as i cannot find the thread

Edited May 10, 2012 by thed00dabides

[shortly]

The top 2 are Trametes versicolor and the bottom one looks like a Laetiporus of some description

Ok so its not on the bottom now, the whitish lookin polyphore looks to be a Laetiporus sp.

Edited May 10, 2012 by shortly

[theuserformallyknownasd00d]

Great thanks for the info, I have read before that the first one is used as an immune booster in china, will definatly have to read into it.

thanks again

D00d

[NSF]

Those red ones could be either Stropharia aurantiaca or Leratiomyces ceres.

Very cool pore surface on that white bracket one too...very different.

[omsource]

yup trametes versicolour (turkey tail) has some amazing medicinal properties-

reduces tumors, combats breast cancer, boosts immune system!!

It's absolutely mad that we aren't studying these guys anywhere near as much as we should be

[theuserformallyknownasd00d]

Thx guys, I will go and harvest some tommorrow. A lot were already dried out and almost wafer thin.... I will change the thread title also, sorry for the miss ID. A lot of sites show turkey tails as reishi mushrooms it seems....

D00d

[mud]

Yay, a new foraging mission. Can;t wait to recall and rediscover these guys. Thanks for bringing them to mind.

[theuserformallyknownasd00d]

hey mud ill be over in canberra on saturday, was gonna get a few hours hunting in, you wanna come along and join a fellow SABian..

d00d

[mud]

Dude^ shoulda pm'd me!!

Yeh, found trametes versicolour and maybe white reishi yesterday. Whatever the white polypore, it's beneavolent.

[occidentalis]

I think I actually heard that from you, om.

That said, I think I overheard Chid say something to that effect at EGA, so unless you both heard it from the same source (or you are actually the same person!), the rumour might have some truth to it.

 

Haha, did I? I don't recall saying that... although I did say a lot of stuff that weekend ;).

News to me.