# Ganoderma Sessile

Ganoderma sessile is a type of mushroom that grows on trees and looks like a shiny, brown shelf! Kids can find it in forests where it helps break down dead wood.

- **Category:** [Fungi](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/fungi)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low
- **Snaps:** 5
- **Habitat:** Forests, often found on the sides of trees.
- **Also known as:** wood conk

![Ganoderma Sessile](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Ganoderma.sessile.pgharvey.jpg&width=800)

Photo: Patrick Harvey (pg_harvey), CC BY-SA 3.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ganoderma.sessile.pgharvey.jpg)

## Appearance

The Ganoderma Sessile is a tough, shelf-like bracket fungus, often semicircular or kidney-shaped. Its upper surface is typically reddish-brown to dark brown with concentric growth zones, sometimes appearing varnished. The underside, or pore surface, is white when young and darkens when touched.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Fungi
- **Phylum:** Basidiomycota
- **Class:** Agaricomycetes
- **Order:** Polyporales
- **Family:** Polyporaceae
- **Genus:** Ganoderma

## Interesting facts

- It prefers to grow on broadleaf trees like oaks and maples, rarely on conifers!
- Its shiny cap sometimes looks like it's covered in a layer of clear varnish!
- This mushroom doesn't have gills; it releases spores from tiny pores underneath!
- You can often find groups of them growing in stair-steps up a tree trunk!

## Special abilities

- **Ironclad Shield:** Ganoderma Sessile has an incredibly tough, woody texture that helps it survive for many years on trees.
- **Spore Shower:** Ganoderma Sessile continuously releases billions of microscopic spores that help it spread to new locations.
- **Cellulose Crusher:** Ganoderma Sessile secretes powerful enzymes that break down tough wood, returning nutrients to the soil.

## Measurements & details

- **Edible:** inedible
- **Size:** 5-30 cm
- **Growth Substrate:** wood
- **Season:** Year-round
- **Spore Color:** Rust-brown

## Ecological connections

- **Parasitizes:** [White Oak](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-oak) (*Quercus alba*) — Causes white rot decay in living or dead wood.
- **Parasitizes:** [Sugar Maple](https://www.snappit.app/explore/sugar-maple) (*Acer saccharum*) — Decays the heartwood of mature maple trees.
- **Eaten by:** Fungus Beetle (*Cis boleti*) — Larvae of these beetles often burrow into the fungal tissue.

## Traits

- [Solitary](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/solitary): Solitary animals live alone for most of their lives, only interacting with others for mating or parental care.
- [Colorful](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/colorful): Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors.
- [Herbivorous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/herbivorous): This trait characterizes organisms whose diet consists entirely or primarily of plant material.
- [Decomposer](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/decomposer): Describes organisms that break down dead organic material, recycling nutrients back into the ecosystem.
- [Forest](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/forest): Forest habitats are terrestrial environments dominated by dense tree cover, supporting a high diversity of plant and animal life.

## Collections

- [Fungi](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/fungi)

## Safety

**Danger:** 1/5 · Very low

No special safety notes yet.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify Ganoderma Sessile?

Compare the cap shape, the underside, the stem and base, and whether the fungus grows on wood or soil. Some fungi have gills, others pores or teeth. A cap seen only from above often hides the most useful features. Mushroom Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

### Is Ganoderma Sessile edible?

inedible

### How big is Ganoderma Sessile?

5-30 cm

### Where is Ganoderma Sessile usually found?

Forests, often found on the sides of trees.

### What does Ganoderma Sessile grow on?

wood

### When is Ganoderma Sessile in season?

Year-round

### What color are Ganoderma Sessile spores?

Rust-brown

## Where to spot

- [Botanical Research Institute of Texas](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/botanical-research-institute-of-texas) — Texas, US · Botanical Garden
- [Bowman's Hill Wildflower Preserve](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/bowmans-hill-wildflower-preserve) — Pennsylvania, US · Botanical Garden
- [Capitol Hill](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/capitol-hill) — District of Columbia, US · Neighborhood
- [East Main Street Commercial Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/east-main-street-commercial-historic-district) — Georgia, US · Historic District
- [Hartford City Courthouse Square Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/hartford-city-courthouse-square-historic-district) — Indiana, US · Historic District
- [Clarence H. Clark Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/clarence-h-clark-park) — Pennsylvania, US · Park

[View all places to see Ganoderma Sessile](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/ganoderma-sessile)

## More Fungi

- [Field Mushroom](https://www.snappit.app/explore/field-mushroom) (*Agaricus*)
- [Button Mushroom](https://www.snappit.app/explore/button-mushroom) (*Agaricus*)
- [Portobello Mushroom](https://www.snappit.app/explore/portobello-mushroom) (*Agaricus*)
- [Shiitake](https://www.snappit.app/explore/shiitake) (*Lentinula*)

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Source: [Ganoderma Sessile: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/ganoderma-sessile)