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Inonotus obliquus Inonotus obliquus growing from the trunk of a Paper Birch (Betula papyrifera). Chaga mushroom,Geotagged,Inonotus obliquus,Spring,United States Click/tap to enlarge

Inonotus obliquus

Inonotus obliquus growing from the trunk of a Paper Birch (Betula papyrifera).

    comments (15)

  1. View Christine Young's profile
    Christine Young
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    Nice! Was it a big chunk? Did you harvest any? Posted 6 years ago
    1. View Gary B's profile
      Gary B
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      Fist-sized more or less. I haven't harvested it yet but there was a lot on this tree. Posted 6 years ago, modified 6 years ago
      1. View Christine Young's profile
        Christine Young
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        I've only been lucky enough to harvest Chaga once, but it made a nice tea. Posted 6 years ago
        1. View Gary B's profile
          Gary B
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          I went back today and looked at the birch again and counted 5 chagas on it and found more on some other birches. I'm going to give this tea a try. Posted 6 years ago
          1. View Christine Young's profile
            Christine Young
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            Nice! Hopefully the tree will live long enough for you to enjoy harvesting lots of chaga! Chaga is also good added to coffee :). I've also heard that some people use it to make syrup or sprinkled on roasted nuts. Posted 6 years ago
            1. View Gary B's profile
              Gary B
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              Is it the inside part that you use? I'm thinking the crust is probably not very good after being exposed all those months/years. Posted 6 years ago
              1. View Flown Kimmerling's profile
                Flown Kimmerling
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                Chaga is one of my favorite additions to homemade hot cocoa. The flavor is fantastic. The inside part would be the best yes. Posted 6 years ago
                1. View Gary B's profile
                  Gary B
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                  I'm glad it has a good flavor! Posted 6 years ago
              3. View Christine Young's profile
                Christine Young
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                Yep - exactly. You want the inner part, which will be yellowish brown. The inside is soft and easy to cut through, unlike the outer, black sclerotium. Make sure to leave at least 20% on the tree so it can continue to grow. After harvesting, you can break up the chunks and dry it on a baking sheet in a warm, sunny spot, next to a stove, etc...Not in the oven though. You should be able to reuse the chaga chunks for tea multiple times (until the water runs clear) - maybe for up to 7-10 cups of tea. Or, you can grind it up and put it in coffee, muffins, pancakes, hot chocolate, etc.

                Oh, and it's best to collect your chaga before the sap flows. Once that happens, the water content will increase and nutrient levels will decrease.                 Posted 6 years ago, modified 6 years ago
                1. View Christine Young's profile
                  Christine Young
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                  The inside will look like this:
                  Chaga 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. <br /> <br /> 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. Chaga mushroom,Geotagged,Inonotus obliquus,Inonotus obliquus f. sterilis,United States,Winter,chaga
                   Posted 6 years ago
                  1. View Gary B's profile
                    Gary B
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                    Found a real nice chaga today on another birch. Will be sawing off a piece tomorrow. Posted 6 years ago
                    1. View Christine Young's profile
                      Christine Young
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                      Awesome! I hope you got a nice chunk. Posted 6 years ago
                      1. View Gary B's profile
                        Gary B
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                        It is and the crust is thinner. Posted 6 years ago
                        1. View Christine Young's profile
                          Christine Young
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                          Nice! Posted 6 years ago
                3. View Gary B's profile
                  Gary B
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                  Thanks! I think I'm going to have to wait to harvest as the sap is flowing now but I'll collect a bit of one today. Posted 6 years ago, modified 6 years ago

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The Inonotus obliquus

''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

Info 11 0
Similar species: Hymenochaetales
Species identified by Gary B
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By Gary B

All rights reserved
Uploaded Apr 4, 2019. Captured Apr 3, 2019 15:03 in 4408 Miller Rd, Barnum, MN 55707, USA.
country flag of United States of America Explore United States of America 40,038 9,661 8
  • Canon EOS Rebel T6
  • f/5.6
  • 1/128s
  • ISO200
  • 100mm