#birch bracket

Fomitopsis betulina

This common bracket fungus, the birch polypore or razor strop, is widespread throughout the northern hemisphere and the main cause of brown rot on birch (Betula sp.) trees. It is well known due to its long history of traditional uses and pieces of it were found among the belongings of Ötzi the Iceman, a mummified man who lived over 5000 years ago and was found in the Alps between Italy and Austria in 1991. The birch polypore is edible when young, but it has mostly been used for its medicinal value, supported by modern pharmacological research which has highlighted a wealth of possible further uses. From wound dressing to brewing as tea, its antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic and analgesic properties made it a valuable species in the folk medical practices of Europe from antiquity up until modern times. Maybe less importantly, it has also been used to refine the sharp edge of razors, which gave it the common name ‘razor strop’.  

Fomitopsis betulina aka birch polypores wearing snow hats in December.