Try this link to my web site
http://www.mushroomhunter.net/091208.htm
Dr. Daniel L. Lindner said he put a sample I sent him in their Wisconsin Herbarium. Check it out there Tom, if you want to see it.

Darvin: the link doesn’t work—I don’t see any image of Inonotus fruitbodies. Can you repost?

Ryvarden has a line drawing from collection 23546, of the basidia and hymenium in Polyporaaceae s.l., Vol 10 of Fungi Europaei. So maybe he has finally seen one, or at least dried.

There is one small photo of the fruiting body in Vol II of the Swiss series by Breitenbach & Kranzlin.

http://mushroomobserver.org/8290

Bernicchia, Annarosa. 2005. Polyporaceae s.l. Fungi Europaei Vol. 10. Edizioni Candusso, Alassio, Italy. 806p.
Breitenbach J. and F. Kranzlin. 1986. Fungi of Switzerland Vol. 2. Mykologia, Luzern. 412p.

Despite extensive searches, I’ve never seen the fruiting body. Hal Burdsall has nver seen it. Leif Ryvarden (of Gilbertson and Ryvarden) has never seen it. Has anyone ever actually seen the fruiting body?
—-tom

Very interesting fungus.
Chaga, the European name for Inonotus obliquus is one of the few fungi KNOWN to help cancer patients. Usually it is made into a mild tea. The black conk, found on Birch, Beech & Alder, is NOT the fruiting body. The reddish-brown reproductive basidiocarp is found under the bark when the tree dies.