Amadouvier - Fomes fomentarius

Fomes fomentarius (commonly known as the tinder fungus, false tinder fungus, hoof fungus, tinder conk, tinder polypore or ice man fungus) is a species of fungal plant pathogen found in Europe, Asia, Africa and North America. The species produces very large polypore fruit bodies which are shaped like a horse's hoof and vary in colour from a silvery grey to almost black, though they are normally brown. It grows on the side of various species of tree, which it infects through broken bark, causing rot. The species typically continues to live on trees long after they have died, changing from a parasite to a decomposer.

Though inedible, F. fomentarius has traditionally seen use as the main ingredient of amadou, a material used primarily as tinder, but also used to make clothing and other items. The 5,000-year-old Ötzi the Iceman carried four pieces of F. fomentarius, concluded to be for use as tinder. It also has medicinal and other uses. The species is both a pest and useful in timber production.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

4 comments

comments

• shutterbroke - 11 years ago
  Very intriguing capture, Stephane. Can't figure out if this is a stone, a plant or an animal with those water drops. Looks to me that it resembles an alligator. Anyway, a fine capture as usual.
• Steph (Stéphane Gaudry) - 11 years ago
  Hi Francisco, this is a fungus that grows on trees. When you look close, in fact, you do not know whether it is mineral or vegetable ...
• Vincent L° - 9 years ago
  Il s'agit très probablement de Fomes fomentarius ou Polypore amadouvier. En tout cas ce n'est pas un champignon de la famille de fistulinaceae où l'on retrouve essentiellement la Fistulina hepatica - Langue de boeuf qui est un champignon à l'aspect totalement différent et en partie gélatineux. Ceci dit la photo est très belle avec la "transpiration" du spécimen.
• Steph (Stéphane Gaudry) - 9 years ago
  Merci beaucoup pour ces précisions. Je viens de regarder sur Wikipedia et en effet, celui-ci a beaucoup plus une structure dure comme du bous.

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• Shooting date : 04/08/2012 14:43:11 (Europe/Brussels)
• camera : Nikon D7000
• exposure speed : 1/200 (0.005 sec)
• aperture : f/16.0
• ISO sensitivity : ISO 1600
• lens : Nikon 105mm f/2,8 AF-S VR MICRO
• focal length : 105mm (cadrage équivalant : 158mm)

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