Living Beings
    Source-identified Fomes fomentarius; Documentary organism photograph; source identification retained. Framed for display
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    Fomes fomentarius 170004702.jpg · Resized and converted to WebP for display. Documentary organism photograph; source identification retained. Ilkka Kaita-aho · CC0

    Field guide · species

    Tinder Fungus

    Fomes fomentarius (L.) Fr., 1849

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    The authority credits the formal scientific description of the name. A year records publication of that description.

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    FungiAgaricomycetesPolyporalesPolyporaceae

    The tinder fungus is a tough perennial bracket that often becomes hoof-shaped. Its woody fruiting bodies remain attached to hardwood and can persist across more than one growing season.

    Public research profile · final editorial review pending.

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    Tree of lifeScientific lineage
    1. LifeLife
    2. DomainEukaryota
    3. KingdomFungi
    4. PhylumBasidiomycota
    5. ClassAgaricomycetes
    6. OrderPolyporales
    7. FamilyPolyporaceae
    8. GenusFomes
    9. SpeciesFomes fomentarius
    Advanced classification

    Complete source lineage, including intermediate ranks. The standard view uses Life and the eight principal ranks.

    1. cellular organisms cellular root
    2. Eukaryota domain
    3. Opisthokonta clade
    4. Fungi kingdom
    5. Dikarya subkingdom
    6. Basidiomycota phylum
    7. Agaricomycotina subphylum
    8. Agaricomycetes class
    9. Agaricomycetes incertae sedis no rank
    10. Polyporales order
    11. Polyporaceae family
    12. Fomes genus
    13. Fomes fomentarius species
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    Structure and identification

    A grayish, zoned upper surface contrasts with a brown underside covered in small pores. There is no central mushroom stem.

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    Habitat and range

    Standing and fallen hardwoods, particularly birch and beech, provide host material and a substrate.

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    Nutrition and metabolism

    The fungus causes white rot, breaking down components of wood and absorbing released nutrients.

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    Reproduction and life cycle

    Successive tube layers contribute to a durable bracket. Spores are produced within the pore-bearing tubes rather than on exposed gills.

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    Geographic distribution

    The cited field account documents broad occurrence in northern and temperate North America. The photograph is a source-identified specimen, not a map of the species’ complete range.

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    Ecological role

    It may inhabit living trees and continue decomposing wood after the host dies.

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    Distinctive adaptations

    A hard, persistent fruiting body contrasts with short-lived fleshy mushrooms. Its historical use as tinder reflects properties of the fungal tissue, not a different biological role.

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    Evidence

    Sources

    Connected life

    No reviewed ecological connections in the collection yet.

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