Laricifomes officinalis

Did You Know?

• The species epithet officinalis denotes an organism associated with herbalism or medicine.
• DNA analyses showed genetic distance from Fomitopsis, favoring the name Laricifomes officinalis over Fomitopsis officinalis.
• A single conk usually indicates complete infection of the tree, which can become a habitat for snag-nesting organisms.

Description

These hoof-shaped or columnar conks can reach over 65 cm long and nearly 40 cm around, weighing up to 20 lb, and grow as high as 65 feet up on trunks or branches. The young fruiting bodies start soft and yellow-white, then quickly harden into a chalky texture. As they age, they turn red, brown, or gray, developing cubic cracks with thick white felts in the larger fissures. White, ellipsoidal spores are released from the conk’s underside during warmer months. The taste is sharply bitter, while the scent is mild or mealy. It may be confused with Phellinus species, which are blacker and favor hardwoods, as well as Fomitopsis mounceae and Ganoderma brownii.

Conservation

The species is found mainly in old-growth forests, which are threatened by diseases, invasive species, and deforestation, leading to a sharp decline in habitable space. Habitat loss and unregulated harvesting are decreasing populations. Cultivation is particularly difficult, though research with inoculating larch branches shows promise. Preservation of forests is necessary to prevent extinction. Conservation laws protecting the fungus exist only in Germany, Lithuania, Poland, and Slovenia.

Uses

Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast, including the Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian, called it 'bread of the ghosts' and used it both medicinally and spiritually. Fruiting bodies were carved into masks, likely for ritual purposes, and often marked shamans' graves. Mycelium from rotting wood was processed into a leather-like textile. The Ancient Greeks, as recorded by Pedanius Dioscorides in 65 CE, used it to treat consumption (tuberculosis), and some indigenous people used it for smallpox. Later, the bitter powdered conk was collected extensively for quinine production, though it lacks anti-malarial properties. Mycologist Paul Stamets found that extracts show in vitro antiviral activity against pox family viruses, HSV-1, HSV-2, Influenza A, Influenza B, and Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Other researchers identified novel chlorinated coumarins with low minimum inhibitory concentrations against the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex.