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Chaga - Inonotus obliquus
The orange bit to the bottom left of the mass is the bit I pulled off by running and jumping to reach. That small section alone was nearly the size of my hand. Also, if you zoom in, you'll notice gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar) pupae and caterpillar remains all around the edges of the mass.
Known as the "King of Medicinal Mushrooms", Chaga has an irregularly shaped, cracked, black outer surface, which looks like burnt charcoal. This hard, black surface is called the sclerotium. The sclerotium is a mass of mycelium that is black because it contains large amounts of melanin. Internally, the tissue is softer and cork-like with a rusty yellow-brown color.
Chaga is nutrient-dense, and has many medicinal uses, including its potentially significant anti-cancer properties. Studies show that it may slow the growth of cancer and cause tumor cells to self-destruct.
Habitat: It was growing nearly 2 m up on a hardwood tree. There were a few chunks on the ground, leading me to think that someone had harvested some from this mass already. I didn't harvest any, but was able to rip off a chunk by running and jumping so I could reach the bottom part...If you look at the photos showing the tree, the part where I ripped a piece off is orange and on the bottom left of the mass. The piece I tore off was nearly the size of my hand!
''Inonotus obliquus'', commonly called chaga , is a fungus in the family Hymenochaetaceae. It is parasitic on birch and other trees. The sterile conk is irregularly formed and resembles burnt charcoal. It is not the fruiting body of the fungus, but a sclerotium or mass of mycelium, mostly black because of a great amount of melanin. Some people consider chaga medicinal.
''Inonotus obliquus'' is found most commonly in the Circumboreal Region of the Northern Hemisphere, where it is distributed.. more
