Names, authorship and dates from Index Fungorum.

• BasidiomycotaPhylum
• └─ AgaricomycetesClass
• └─ PolyporalesOrder
• └─ PolyporaceaeFamily
• └─ GanodermaGenus

Higher ranks from Catalogue of Life (COL26.9 XR).

Lifestyleparasitism

On stumps and trunks of deciduous trees, especially beech; rarely conifers

⚠ Before you pickWild fungi may be taken in small quantities for your own use (§39(3) BNatSchG) — but not in nature reserves or national parks, on closed land or on farmland in use, and never for sale (§39(4)). In Bavaria this right is anchored in Art. 141(3) of the state constitution and is limited to locally customary amounts; the competent authority is the district nature-conservation authority (untere Naturschutzbehörde). Local signs and ordinances come first.

Species protection from BArtSchV Annex 1 and §2(1), retrieved 2026-10-15; Red List from Dämmrich et al. (2016) (BfN / Rote-Liste-Zentrum). Not legal advice — local rules and signage may be stricter. BArtSchV Annex 1 · Red List data

• inedible mushroom
• medicinal mushrooms

Inedible — woody and tough

• ▸ Large, flat grey-brown bracket with a dull, crusty top surface
• ▸ White pore surface that turns brown permanently when scratched
• ▸ Concentric growth zones on the upper surface
• ▸ Woody, hard, perennial fruit body

Being totally woody, it can last for years. Draw on the fresh white underside with a stick and the picture remains permanently — origin of the name Artist's Bracket.