From the archives of National Geographic:
This hat, shaped from the fibrous interior of Fomes fomentarius, was mailed to National Geographic headquarters by William J. O'Reardon in 1920... According to an eyewitness report in the newsletter of the North American Mycological Association, Fomes caps of Hungarian origin were spotted for sale at the 12th International Fungi and Fibre Symposium in 2005...Photo credit: Charles Martin (National Geographic Stock)
A link to "amadou" - the felt-like layer from which hats and other items are made:
ReplyDeletehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amadou
Thank you. I think now of all the bracket fungi I saw exploring the woods as a kid, and never even imagined what I could have done with them.
DeleteAnd apparently there are still hats and bags made of this stuff. The downside is that they are flammable and not really waterproof.
ReplyDeletehttp://handiwork.ro/index.php/en/product/6092-large-amadou-purse-bag/