the bracket that bruises blue when you touch it
- Size
- Width: 3–8 cm
- Lifespan
- 1 years
- Diet
- Saprotrophic. Feeds on dead wood of native and introduced trees. Grows on fallen logs, stumps and standing deadwood, particularly on beech, manuka and kanuka. Decomposer of lignin and cellulose.
- Habitat
- Grows on dead wood in native forests. Forms white to cream, bracket-shaped fruiting bodies that are soft and spongy when fresh. When bruised or cut, the flesh turns bright blue instantly.
- Range
- Throughout North and South Islands on dead wood in native forests, particularly beech and podocarp forests. Endemic to New Zealand. Widespread distribution in suitable habitats.
- Endemism
- Endemic
- Main Threats
- Habitat loss from forest clearance is primary threat. Removal of dead wood from forest floors reduces substrate. Climate change reducing forest floor moisture affects growth and survival rates.
- Population
- A white bracket fungus that bruises bright blue when touched. Found on dead wood in native forests, particularly beech and podocarp forests. When bruised or cut, flesh turns bright blue quickly.
- Conservation Status
- Not Threatened
The colour-changer of the forest floor. A fungus with a party trick. The fruiting body is a bracket. It measures three to eight centimetres across. It is white to cream. It is soft and spongy when fresh. The upper surface is covered in fine hairs. It is often zoned with concentric rings of darker cream. The underside is covered in tiny, angular pores. They are white to cream. It looks ordinary. This is a deception.
The magic happens when it is touched. Bruise the flesh. Cut it. Scratch it. It turns bright blue. Not pale blue. Not grey-blue. It is a vivid, startling, electric blue. The colour appears within seconds. It spreads through the damaged tissue like a wave. It is a chemical reaction. It is the oxidation of a compound called variegatic acid. This is the same reaction that makes some boletes turn blue. A fungus that bleeds blue when hurt. The visual is immediate. The cause is chemical.
Biologically, the Blueing Bracket is a saprotroph. It feeds on dead wood. It is a decomposer. It turns fallen logs and branches into soil. The blue bruising is thought to deter insects and other animals. It is a visual warning. It says 'I am not food'. The message is clear. The recipient understands. The survival strategy is effective. The colour is the shield.
The Blueing Bracket is not edible. It is tough and bitter. It has no culinary value. But its beauty is in its trick. Its ability to surprise is the point. It makes a person say 'wow' when touching it. The reaction is human. The fungus is indifferent. It does not perform for an audience. It performs for survival.
To find a Blueing Bracket is to find a fungus that interacts. It responds to touch. The log is dead. The bracket grows, white and soft. A finger touches. The flesh turns blue. It is electric and startling. The fungus does not know it is magic. It just wants to not be eaten. The intent is simple. The result is complex. The observer is delighted. The fungus is protected.
The blue fades. The fungus continues to rot the wood. That is what bracket fungi do. The work is slow. The decomposition is steady. The soil gains nutrients. The forest recycles itself. The Blueing Bracket plays its part. It breaks down the lignin. It breaks down the cellulose. It returns the carbon. The blue stain remains as a memory. The touch leaves a mark. The fungus carries on. It does not seek praise. It seeks completion. The log disappears. The fungus persists. And that seems to be enough.