the NZ native bracket Māori used for tinder

Size
Width: 20–50 cm
Lifespan
1 years
Diet
Parasitic: feeds on living silver beech trees. Causes wood decay forming large bracket-shaped fruiting bodies on trunks. When dried smoulders for hours.
Habitat
On living silver beech (Nothofagus menziesii) trees. Causes wood decay. Forms large bracket-shaped fruiting bodies on the trunk.
Range
Throughout New Zealand on living silver beech trees. Most common in South Island and lower North Island beech forests.
Endemism
Endemic
Main Threats
Habitat loss from land clearance and forest fragmentation. Not considered threatened. Dependent on mature beech forest.
Population
Populations are considered stable but dependent on mature beech forest. Common in silver beech forests. Threatened by forest clearance.
Conservation Status
Not Threatened
It grows on living silver beech trees. This is the Pūtawa, a large bracket fungus that carries fire. The fruiting body is thick and hoof-shaped. It spans twenty to fifty centimetres across. The colour is greyish-brown. The texture is woody. It can persist on the tree trunk for years. It slowly grows larger. A new layer of pores is added each season. It is a fungus that grows like a tree. The accumulation is steady. The presence is permanent. This fungus is a parasite. It enters the tree through wounds in the bark. Then it slowly rots the heartwood from the inside out. The tree may live for decades with the fungus. But eventually, the decay will weaken it. The structure fails. The Pūtawa is so closely associated with silver beech that it is rarely found on any other host. The relationship is specific. The dependency is absolute. When dried, the fruiting body smoulders for hours. It produces a steady, smokeless burn. The tough, woody flesh acts like a slow fuse. It holds the fire without flaming. This made Pūtawa invaluable to Māori for carrying fire between camps. A piece of dried fungus could be lit in the morning. It would still be glowing at the end of a day's travel. The utility was immediate. The reliability was total. To prepare Pūtawa for carrying fire, the fungus was harvested from living trees. It was then dried in the sun or over a low fire. The dried bracket was broken into manageable pieces. When a fire was needed, the glowing fungus was placed in a bundle of dry tinder. It was blown into flame. The process was simple. The result was essential. In Māori tradition, Pūtawa was an essential item for travelling parties. The forest is damp. The Pūtawa grows on the silver beech. It is hoof-shaped and woody. It is greyish-brown. A piece is harvested and dried. It glows. It carries fire. The fungus does not know it is a fire-carrier. It does not know it is essential. It simply exists on the decaying wood. It breaks down the lignin. It releases the nutrients. It carries on. It just wants to rot the tree. The ember that never dies. The Pūtawa is proof.