Lingzhi mushroom is a polypore that lives on coniferous and deciduous trees. It has an annual large pedestal fruiting body. Its top surface has a lacquer-like gloss, and is burgundy orange. The lower surface pore layer is white during its youth and brown when it has aged.

Lingzhi mushroom grows in lush forests with decaying deciduous trees, mostly common alder (Alnus glutinosa). It can also be found among coniferous trees. Lingzhi mushroom occurs in both the northern temperate and tropical regions.

Lingzhi mushroom is also called reishi and it is a very popular medicinal plant. Reishi is believed to treat the heart and reduce stress and inflammation. Reishi is called “the mushroom of immortality” and is thought to bring good luck. It can also be cultivated and has a growing market.

Lingzhi mushroom is a wood decayer that thrives on fallen tree trunks and decaying branches. It forms white rot. In forest management, suitable growing habitats are formed by adding decaying wood, for example, or by leaving retention trees and stumps in forests. Ensuring a mixed tree species composition and adding deadwood also benefit the lingzhi mushroom. Suitable substrates can also be added by protecting the common alder’s typical growth sites such as waterfront forests.