How to Grow and Care for Artist's bracket and allies

This shelf fungus can live for several consecutive years and can be dated by the growth ridges seen on its dark surface. Artist's conk grows in tiered groups at the bases of oak, beech, and conifers, as well as deadwood. When its spores release, they cover the area with visible brown dust. Scratches in the white undersurface create dark lines.

The reishi (Ganoderma lucidum) is a large shelf fungus that grows as a bracket off the sides of trees, or occasionally as a rosette on the tops of stumps. Its surface is smooth and shiny. Growing wild from warm temperate zones to the subtropics, the reishi is also cultivated on grain and sawdust for commercial use. The mushroom has cultural significance in some Chinese cultures.

The golden reishi is a tough-fleshed fungus that can be found on dead or live hardwoods, and sometimes conifers, sporting deep shades of red, orange or yellow, although some can be quite pale. While some claim that the golden reishi may convey health benefits, there is no evidence to support this, and the species is considered inedible.