SC - mushroom fibers for clothing???

[Decker, Terry D.]

Fomes fomentarius is a hard, dense basidocarp (a term describing the
sporation structures, which I do not fully understand).  It is found in the
Northern Hemisphere.  Northern European variants tend to be shaped like a
hoof while Central European variants appear to be more globular.

The interior consists of fine brown fibers, which when broken apart produces
a brown fluff that can be used to pack wounds to staunch blood flow (the
fibers are essentially sterile having been grown inside the shell of the
fungus.

The fibers can be treated (I've never found the specific method) and
hammered to to produce what appears to be a thin flexible leather or cloth
which can be sewn together to produce garments.  The hammered fibers also
can serve to keep a coal smoldering without causing a fire. 

The fungus has been found inside some 12,000 year old German dwellings and
is believed to have been used on wounds.  There are supposed to be some
preserved garments in the Czech Republic.  It was known to have been
imported from Norway to England to use as tinder between 1600 and 1750.  The
market collapsed when matches (probably the fiber slow match) came into
common use.

See L. Ryvarden and R. L. Gilbertson 1993.  European Polypores - part 1, pp.
253-255.  Fungiflora, Oslo, Norway.

Bear

> 
> > Subject: Tinder, Zundel
> > Date: Wed, 31 Jan 2001 16:02:49 +0100
> > From: Bosse Bengtsson <smapal at algonet.se>
> > To: <stefan at florilegium.org>
> > 
> > Stefan,
> > 
> > My name is Bo Bengtsson and I´m living i Sweden.
> > 
> > At the moment I´m doing some homework at my school about a mushroom
> > (polyporus) groing on treetrunks named Fomes fomentarius. I 
> know that
> > substance (tinder, Zunder) in this mushroom can be used for 
> making fabrics
> > and clothes, such as caps, shoes and coats. Maybe You can 
> give me some
> > information about the production and use of tinder in fabrics in the
> > Hungaria and Romania? Or do you got any other perons I can 
> contact in this
> > matter? 
> > 
> > I would appreciate this very much.
> > 
> > Yours Sincerely, 
> > 
> > Bo Bengtsson 
> > Fångstvägen 22 
> > 262 71 Jonstorp 
> > Schweden 
>