Artists Conk (Ganoderma applanatum). You may have heard of this bracket fungus and know that you can write and draw on the underneath side- thus the name. I have even heard that people will mail Artist’s Conk with adesign on the underside and enough postage stamps and it will be delivered. Like other bracket fungi in my neck of the woods (Portland, Oregon area) Artist’s conk is an important medicinal mushroom that can be used for a wide variety of complaints. But because this is a perennial bracket fungus that is not extremely common, it should be harvested rarely and other medicinal mushrooms should be picked first. One can easily purchase farmed shiitakes, maitakes, turkey tails and reishi with a good medicinal profile without depleting our forests of important perennial fungi that are key to the ecological balance of our environment.