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Varnished red-brown hemlock reishi shelves on a mossy conifer log
Not a food mushroomintermediate

Hemlock Reishi

Ganoderma tsugae / Hemlock varnish shelf

A lacquered red-brown shelf on hemlock and other conifers, prized for tea and extracts rather than as a food mushroom.

Photo: Ian Manning, CC BY
Compiled by Mushroom Forage Map field deskExpert review pendingContent checked
Identification warning

Woody and inedible as food. Health claims are not established; ask a clinician before using extracts, especially with blood-thinning medicines.

Season
Fresh growth from late spring to summer; old shelves persist
Habitat
Dead or dying hemlock and other conifers in eastern North America
Underside
White pore surface that bruises brown
Spore evidence
Brown

Where it grows

Tracked records and known growing zone

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Squares: where people recorded it, brighter where more people did
Verified records
10,808
People who recorded it
6,702
Most records (northern hemisphere)
May–Jul
Records span
1997–2026

Research-grade iNaturalist records, snapshot Aug 27, 2026. The growing zone combines areas where different people have repeatedly verified it. Records show where people looked and found it, not current abundance or permission to gather.

Observation season

When field records occur

Choose a hemisphere · All recorded years; not a current forecast.

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Lookalikes to rule out

Artist's conk has a dull, crusty gray-brown top with no varnish and grows for many years.

Ganoderma curtisii

harmless

A near twin that grows on hardwoods rather than conifers; host wood is the practical field clue.

Red-belted conks

harmless

Fomitopsis shelves have a resinous red band but a hard, hoof-like body and a pale margin that does not look lacquered.

Identification

Look for a kidney- or fan-shaped shelf with a shining, lacquered surface in red, mahogany, or orange, often with a white to yellow growing edge. Many shelves have a short lateral stalk that is also varnished. The underside is a fine white pore surface that bruises brown when scratched. Host wood matters: this species favors hemlock and other conifers.

Uses and ecology

Reishi is too tough to eat and is traditionally simmered for tea or extracted. It decays dead conifer wood and returns in the same log for several years. Clinical evidence for most health claims remains limited, and supplement products vary widely in species and quality.

Memorable fact

The glossy surface comes from a resin-like crust that forms as the shelf matures, which is why fresh specimens can look almost wet.

Sources

Never eat a mushroom from this page alone

Confirm identity using the whole specimen, multiple reputable sources, and a qualified local expert. Identified edible species still require appropriate preparation. Cooking does not make a poisonous mushroom safe.

Safety and poison response
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