Artist's Bracket vs Reishi / Lingzhi
Ganoderma applanatum and Ganoderma lucidum are confused for one another often enough to be worth putting next to each other.
Hard as wood; the white pore surface bruises brown, so people draw on it. Inedible.
Varnished red bracket used for tea and supplements for centuries — but far too woody to eat as a mushroom.
Side by side
| Ganoderma applanatum | Ganoderma lucidum | |
|---|---|---|
| In this game | Inedible / unclear | Inedible / unclear |
| Habitat | Flat brackets on stumps and trunks of broadleaf trees, especially beech. | At the base of broadleaf stumps and roots, especially oak. |
| Season | Perennial, adding a layer each year. | Summer to autumn. |
| Spore print | Brown — it dusts everything below it. | Brown. |
The recorded spore prints differ: brown — it dusts everything below it for Ganoderma applanatum, brown for Ganoderma lucidum. That is one documented difference, not a test you can pass.
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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Ganoderma applanatum is also confused with Tinder Fungus.
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