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Fomes fomentarius is a fungal plant pathogen. It is also known by the names Tinder Polypore, Tinder fungus, Hoof Fungus, Tinder Conk and even Ice Man. It has very elaborate polypore fruit bodies. Their bodies are shaped in the horse hoof’s shape and their colours range from silvery grey to blackish. The most common colour, though, is brown. This species of fungus dwells on barks of certain trees. If not picked, Fomes Fomentarius does not fall off the bark of the tree. It remains attached to the tree until it is dead; then it starts to initiate rotting of the tree bark. In short, the fungus lives on the bark of trees as a parasite and subsequently a decomposer.
