Phellinus igniarius (Fries) Quélet
willow fomes
circumpolar and northern temperate zone
Of the two related species that have shared the names ‘touchwood’ or ‘funk’
down the centuries,Fomes fomentarius is the more likely to have been the
one used in Suffolk ‘since time immemorial’ to staunch bleeding and cure
slight wounds,^82 as it is said to have grown on oaks, which this species favours,
whereas Phellinus igniarius tends to occur on other deciduous trees, espe-
cially willows. On the other hand, the former is rare in England, and the lat-
ter common. The hard outer part was cut off and the soft inner substance
hammered to soften it further.^83
Phellinus pomaceus (Fries) Maire
northern temperate zone and where Prunus is cultivated
The very hard fruit-bodies ofPhellinus pomaceus,a fungus of fruit trees of the
rose family, formerly enjoyed a reputation in West Sussex villages for poul-
ticing facial swelling. Before being applied, they first had to be ground down
on a nutmeg grater and then heated in the oven.^84
Piptoporus betulinus (Bulliard ex Fries) P. Karsten
birch bracket
circumboreal
In Sussex, pieces ofPiptoporus betulinus,a common fungus of birches, were
slowly steamed in tins to produce a charcoal valued as an antiseptic and dis-
infectant.^85 Regular strips of the thick, elastic flesh were also cut and kept
there whenever required for staunching bleeding (in the same way as puff-
balls); with a hole punched in the middle, they were found to make very com-
fortable corn pads.^86 Perhaps these are the ‘mushroom slices’ reputed to cure
corns in Galway when applied to them on three successive nights.^87
Fistulina hepatica Schaeffer ex Fries
poor man’s beefsteak
northern temperate zone, Caribbean, mountains of subtropical
India; introduced (?) into Australia
The botanist William Sherard, during his brief residence in north-eastern Ire-
land in 1690–4, found the local peasants searching out a certain fungus from
the clefts of rotten oaks and using it to heal old ulcers, laying a portion on the
sore. In his edition of Ray’sSynopsis,Dillenius was able to provide a sufficiently
good description of it, under the pre-Linnaean nameFungus cariaceus querci-
nus haematodes,^88 toleave little doubt that this was the species in question.^89
Bryophytes, Lichens, Algae and Fungi 49