Is This Chaga? A Key For Identifying This Remarkable Fungus

I just harvested some chaga….

Wild Foodism

This is a fairly common question I receive, usually accompanied by a picture similar to the one shown here.  It’s a good question indeed, and it’s one that I would like to explore beyond a simple “Yes” or “No” answer (spoiler alert:  the answer is “No”).

In my early mushrooming days, it was the chaga fungus that had me most excited (don’t get me wrong, I’m still bedazzled).  I remember exploring the hardwood forests near Pittsburgh (not exactly an ideal habitat for chaga) in search of this medicinal marvel, and discovering what I thought were potential candidates.  I’d perceive one far in the distance and immediately scurry to the spot.  Standing under the darkened mass, hoping my search yielded success, I’d wonder, “Is this chaga?”

It wasn’t.

Rather, the abnormal growth that had myself (and countless others, judging by requests on identification forums) fooled was a tree burl resembling the…

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