{"id":95533,"date":"2024-12-12T14:27:55","date_gmt":"2024-12-12T14:27:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/?p=95533"},"modified":"2025-02-14T22:11:41","modified_gmt":"2025-02-14T22:11:41","slug":"smokey-bracket","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/2024\/12\/12\/smokey-bracket\/","title":{"rendered":"Smokey bracket (Bjerkandera adusta) Identification"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1><strong>Smokey Bracket\u00a0 \/ Spring \/ Summer \/ Autumn\u00a0 \/ Winter \/ Edible<\/strong><\/h1>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-1' class='gallery galleryid-95533 gallery-columns-3 gallery-size-medium'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/2024\/12\/12\/smokey-bracket\/bjerkandera_adusta_bottom_view\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" src=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Bjerkandera_adusta_bottom_view-300x225.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-95534\" srcset=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Bjerkandera_adusta_bottom_view-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Bjerkandera_adusta_bottom_view-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Bjerkandera_adusta_bottom_view-768x576.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Bjerkandera_adusta_bottom_view-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Bjerkandera_adusta_bottom_view-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Bjerkandera_adusta_bottom_view-150x113.jpeg 150w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Bjerkandera_adusta_bottom_view-900x675.jpeg 900w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-95534'>\n\t\t\t\tSource\nhttps:\/\/www.first-nature.com\/fungi\/bjerkandera-adusta.php\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/2024\/12\/12\/smokey-bracket\/bjerkandera-adusta-lindsey-2\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"199\" src=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Bjerkandera.adusta.-.lindsey-1-300x199.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-95536\" srcset=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Bjerkandera.adusta.-.lindsey-1-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Bjerkandera.adusta.-.lindsey-1-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Bjerkandera.adusta.-.lindsey-1.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-95536'>\n\t\t\t\tBy James Lindsey at Ecology of Commanster, CC BY-SA 3.0, \n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/2024\/12\/12\/smokey-bracket\/smoky-bracket-mature-body-in-situ\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" src=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Smoky-bracket-mature-body-in-situ-300x225.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-112833\" srcset=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Smoky-bracket-mature-body-in-situ-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Smoky-bracket-mature-body-in-situ-150x113.jpg 150w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Smoky-bracket-mature-body-in-situ.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-112833'>\n\t\t\t\tDominicus Johannes Bergsma, CC BY-SA 3.0 \n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/2024\/12\/12\/smokey-bracket\/smoky-bracket-shot-of-the-underside\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" src=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Smoky-bracket-shot-of-the-underside-300x225.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-112834\" srcset=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Smoky-bracket-shot-of-the-underside-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Smoky-bracket-shot-of-the-underside-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Smoky-bracket-shot-of-the-underside-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Smoky-bracket-shot-of-the-underside-150x113.jpg 150w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Smoky-bracket-shot-of-the-underside-900x675.jpg 900w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Smoky-bracket-shot-of-the-underside.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-112834'>\n\t\t\t\tMichel Langeveld, CC BY-SA 4.0 \n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/2024\/12\/12\/smokey-bracket\/smoky-bracket-shot-of-the-underside-of-a-mature-specimen\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" src=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Smoky-bracket-shot-of-the-underside-of-a-mature-specimen-300x225.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-112835\" srcset=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Smoky-bracket-shot-of-the-underside-of-a-mature-specimen-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Smoky-bracket-shot-of-the-underside-of-a-mature-specimen-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Smoky-bracket-shot-of-the-underside-of-a-mature-specimen-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Smoky-bracket-shot-of-the-underside-of-a-mature-specimen-150x113.jpg 150w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Smoky-bracket-shot-of-the-underside-of-a-mature-specimen-900x675.jpg 900w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Smoky-bracket-shot-of-the-underside-of-a-mature-specimen.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-112835'>\n\t\t\t\tTomas P., CC0, via Wikimedia Commons\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/2024\/12\/12\/smokey-bracket\/smoky-bracket-nice-shot-of-a-group-in-the-rosette-form\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" src=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Smoky-bracket-nice-shot-of-a-group-in-the-rosette-form-300x225.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-112836\" srcset=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Smoky-bracket-nice-shot-of-a-group-in-the-rosette-form-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Smoky-bracket-nice-shot-of-a-group-in-the-rosette-form-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Smoky-bracket-nice-shot-of-a-group-in-the-rosette-form-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Smoky-bracket-nice-shot-of-a-group-in-the-rosette-form-150x113.jpg 150w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Smoky-bracket-nice-shot-of-a-group-in-the-rosette-form-900x675.jpg 900w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Smoky-bracket-nice-shot-of-a-group-in-the-rosette-form.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-112836'>\n\t\t\t\tMichel Langeveld, CC BY-SA 4.0 \n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>The Smokey Bracket (Bjerkandera adusta) is a subtle yet fascinating fungus that you\u2019ve likely walked past countless times without even noticing. Found on decaying wood, especially hardwoods, it\u2019s a common sight in UK woodlands year-round. Its smoky-grey hues and thin, crust-like appearance might not be as eye-catching as other bracket fungi, but it plays an essential role in breaking down dead trees and recycling nutrients back into the ecosystem.<\/p>\n<p>While the Smoky Bracket is inedible, its potential to be confused with the medicinal <a href=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/2020\/04\/29\/identify-turkey-tails-mushroom\/\">turkey tails mushroom<\/a> make it a species worth recognising.<\/p>\n<p>In this post, we\u2019ll explore how to identify the Smoky Bracket, where it grows, and why it\u2019s such a valuable part of the natural world.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2><strong>Scientific Name<\/strong><\/h2>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bjerkandera adusta<\/span><\/h4>\n<hr \/>\n<h2><strong>Common Name<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Smokey bracket <\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2><strong>Family<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Meruliaceae<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2><strong>Habitat and season<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Saprophytic growing directly off dead hardwood or occasionally conifer trees.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Grows in summer and autumn, old brackets can be seen all year.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2><strong>Identifying Features of the Smokey bracket<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Very variable fungus it can appear in several forms:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As a reresupinate crust- this is like a flat plaque on the underside of dead branches.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It can also appear with a rounded cap and short stem.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Most commonly as fan shaped brackets stacked horizontally. The shape is thin, wavy and radically ridged.<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Flesh &#8211;<\/strong> <\/span><\/h2>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tough but flexible like rubber.<\/span><\/h4>\n<hr \/>\n<h2><strong>Upperside\/infertile-<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bands of colour in shades of white, beige, greys and browns usually with white on the rim. Felty texture and 2-6cm across.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_112836\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-112836\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-112836 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Smoky-bracket-nice-shot-of-a-group-in-the-rosette-form-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"Smokey bracket on wood\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Smoky-bracket-nice-shot-of-a-group-in-the-rosette-form-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Smoky-bracket-nice-shot-of-a-group-in-the-rosette-form-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Smoky-bracket-nice-shot-of-a-group-in-the-rosette-form-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Smoky-bracket-nice-shot-of-a-group-in-the-rosette-form-150x113.jpg 150w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Smoky-bracket-nice-shot-of-a-group-in-the-rosette-form-900x675.jpg 900w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Smoky-bracket-nice-shot-of-a-group-in-the-rosette-form.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-112836\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Michel Langeveld, CC BY-SA 4.0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<hr \/>\n<h2><strong>Underside\/fertile-<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Polypore- lots of tiny holes like sponge. Mostly grey with a white band on the rim.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-95534\" src=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Bjerkandera_adusta_bottom_view-300x225.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Bjerkandera_adusta_bottom_view-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Bjerkandera_adusta_bottom_view-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Bjerkandera_adusta_bottom_view-768x576.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Bjerkandera_adusta_bottom_view-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Bjerkandera_adusta_bottom_view-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Bjerkandera_adusta_bottom_view-150x113.jpeg 150w, https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Bjerkandera_adusta_bottom_view-900x675.jpeg 900w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2><strong>Smell:<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Not distinctive <\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2><strong>Spores<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">white<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2><strong>Uses for the Smokey bracket<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Although classed as Edible I would personally class it as Inedible, it&#8217;s just so tough <\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2><strong>Conservation Considerations<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Very common\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2><strong>Smokey bracket Could Be Confused With&#8230;<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/2020\/04\/29\/identify-turkey-tails-mushroom\/\">Turkey tail Trametes versicolour<\/a> which is also a polypore bracket with bands of colour, but turkey tail has a white underside ( fertile side ) where as smokey bracket has grey.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2><strong>Caution and known hazards\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">None known<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>Resources<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.first-nature.com\/fungi\/bjerkandera-adusta.php\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">https:\/\/www.first-nature.com\/fungi\/bjerkandera-adusta.php<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Smokey Bracket\u00a0 \/ Spring \/ Summer \/ Autumn\u00a0 \/ Winter \/ Edible &nbsp; The Smokey Bracket (Bjerkandera adusta) is a subtle yet fascinating fungus that you\u2019ve likely walked past countless times without even noticing. Found on decaying wood, especially hardwoods, it\u2019s a common sight in UK woodlands year-round. Its smoky-grey&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1051,"featured_media":112836,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1778,85,1781,114,1776,1777,1779],"tags":[239,2108,2029,499,1974,2030,2107,104,238,122],"class_list":["post-95533","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-autumn","category-foraging","category-inedible","category-mushroom-identification","category-spring","category-summer","category-winter","tag-autumn","tag-bjerkandera-adusta","tag-bracket-fungus","tag-inedible","tag-meruliaceae","tag-polypore-fungi","tag-smokey-bracket","tag-spring","tag-summer","tag-winter"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95533","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1051"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=95533"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95533\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":118864,"href":"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95533\/revisions\/118864"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/112836"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=95533"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=95533"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/totallywilduk.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=95533"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}