Artist's Bracket

The Artists bracket is a polypore mushroom that grows on hardwood. It is part of the Ganoderma family which is related to the famous 'Reishi or Ling zhi' polypore mushroom that has been used in Chinese medicine for over 4000 years.  Like the other mushrooms in the Ganoderma family, the Artists Bracket is used by some for medicinal tea as it has positive effects on the fight against certain cancers and other health issues. The tea is bitter and not very pleasing to drink so another great use is using it to sketch on. The underside of the mushroom has a white bottom that when etched into with a metal pin or sharp tool stains brown. A lot of people tend to draw nature-scapes or wildlife, I of course had to sketch an old wall. This was a great specimen to find as it is almost 18" long. Keep an eye out for these if you like to sketch and draw while on your next nature hike. The characteristics of this mushroom aren't hard to miss. It's great fun and just another way to connect with nature.