Tinder Fungus vs Birch Polypore
Fomes fomentarius and Fomitopsis betulina are confused for one another often enough to be worth putting next to each other.
Hoof-shaped and woody. Ötzi the Iceman carried it 5,000 years ago — for fire-lighting, not for dinner.
Corky bracket found only on birch. Historically used as a razor strop and wound dressing, not as food.
Side by side
| Fomes fomentarius | Fomitopsis betulina | |
|---|---|---|
| In this game | Inedible / unclear | Inedible / unclear |
| Habitat | Hoof-shaped brackets on birch and beech, living and dead. | Only on birch, living or dead; often the whole tree carries them. |
| Season | Perennial — the same bracket persists for years. | Annual, persisting through winter. |
| Spore print | White. | White. |
This comparison cannot make a mushroom safe to eat. It sets out the few characteristics this game records, in general terms, for two species that vary by region, age and growing conditions. Real specimens overlap in ways no table and no photograph can separate, and the deadly one here is deadly in a single meal. Ask a qualified local expert, every time.
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Fomes fomentarius is also confused with Artist's Bracket.
Fomitopsis betulina is also confused with Oak Polypore.
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