Ganoderma curtisii is a laccate (varnished) reishi-type polypore of eastern North America, mainly the Southeast. It usually has a lateral stem and grows from roots, stumps and the bases of hardwoods, especially oaks. It was long lumped into Ganoderma lucidum, but DNA studies show it is a separate species, and G. lucidum sensu stricto is not native to North America.
Not a food mushroom: the fruitbody is tough and corky. North American reishi-type Ganoderma are sometimes made into teas or extracts, but no specific medicinal record or safety data for this species were found.
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Mycology is an evolving science: names, classifications and safety information change as research advances. Entries are compiled from cited sources and reviewed, but may be incomplete or out of date — check the sources, and never rely on this library alone to identify or eat a mushroom.
Habitat
Saprobic and parasitic on hardwoods, especially oaks. It grows singly or in groups on dead logs and stumps, or on living trees, often from the roots or near the tree base. Fruitbodies are annual and appear from about May to November, but old ones persist year-round.
Distribution
Eastern North America, primarily the southeastern United States. There are also reports from Oklahoma.
Characteristics
Cap: up to about 12 cm, shiny and varnished, dark yellow-orange to reddish-brown, often with purplish hues and a whitish margin; loses its lustre with age. Context: cream to pale brown with brownish-black melanoid bands or deposits, but without the concentric growth zones of G. sessile; tough but not woody. Pore surface: whitish to brownish, 5-8 pores per mm, bruising brown. Stem: usually present, lateral and set at a sharp angle to the cap, varnished reddish-brown, often up to about 1.5 times the cap width.
