Ganoderma is a genus of polypore fungi in the family Ganodermataceae that includes about 80 species, many from tropical regions. They have a high genetic diversity and are used in traditional Asian medicines. Ganoderma can be differentiated from other polypores because they have a double-walled basidiospore. They may be called shelf mushrooms or bracket fungi.
Ganoderma
Ganoderma lucidum
Polypores are a group of fungi that form large fruiting bodies with pores or tubes on the underside. They are a morphological group of basidiomycetes-like gilled mushrooms and hydnoid fungi, and not all polypores are closely related to each other. Polypores are also called bracket fungi or shelf fungi, and they characteristically produce woody, shelf- or bracket-shaped or occasionally circular fruiting bodies that are called conks.
Polypores (Ganoderma sp.) growing on a tree in Borneo
Trametes versicolor, a colorful bracket fungus, commonly known as turkey tail
A bracket fungus (Pycnoporus sp.) with a tough, woody cap
The blushing bracket showing the red bruising, which is one identification characteristic