the.com/bracket fungus
Trees get a shelf life, and this fungus installs the shelves while you're still alive.
means A tough, shelf- or hoof-shaped fungus that grows flat out from tree trunks, feeding on the wood (living or dead) inside.
from The 'bracket' is pure plain description — these fungi grow as hard, flat, shelf-like projections, exactly like the small structural brackets that hold up actual shelves, from French 'braguette' (via a path involving armor and architecture) and ultimately Latin 'bracae' for breeches, a word that wandered a long way from trousers to tree shelves. 'Fungus' comes straight from Latin, where it already meant mushroom, and is possibly related to Greek 'sphongos,' meaning sponge — a fitting cousin, given how these growths soak moisture from the wood they're slowly dismantling.
- growth rings
- some species add a new layer yearly, like tree-ring clocks
- medicinal use
- reishi, a bracket fungus, sold as longevity tonic for centuries
- shape function
- shelf shape sheds rain while spores drop downward