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Bracket Fungi

The Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, UK

 

Bracket fungi or polypores are a group of fungi that includes the tough, woody, shelf-like growths on the trunks of dead trees. Some species are parasites of living trees.

 

Over a 1000 types of polypore have been identified. They are much more diverse in old natural forests with abundant dead wood than in younger managed forests or plantations. Consequently, a number of species have declined drastically and are under threat of extinction due to logging and deforestation.

 

Polypores are used in traditional medicine, and they are actively studied for their medicinal value.

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Uploaded on October 4, 2019
Taken on September 28, 2019